On December 21, U.S. Senators Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar, along with 18 of their colleagues, urged Presidentelect Donald Trump and his administration to uphold his promise to bring down the cost of prescription drugs for all Americans. In a letter sent to Trump, the senators expressed concern over the rising cost of drugs and outlined several ways Trump can make good on his word to lower the rising cost of prescription drugs for consumers including: allowing the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate better prices for Medicare recipients; requiring pharmaceutical companies to disclose costs associated with developing drugs so prices are more transparent; putting an end to abusive price gouging; and ensuring competition and innovation that will lead to more affordable, effective drugs.
“It is undeniable that more and more families are struggling to access medications, and in many cases, are forced to choose between paying for prescription drugs and other necessities, like food and shelter. The American public is fed up, with roughly 8-in-10 Americans reporting that drug prices are unreasonable and that we must take action to lower costs,” said the Senators in the letter. “You now have the authority to push for a future that prioritizes patients. We are ready to advance measures to achieve this goal and we urge you to partner with Republicans and Democrats alike to take meaningful steps to address the high cost of prescription drugs through bold administrative and legislative actions.”
Sen. Franken has long been a leading advocate for cutting prescription drug costs and bringing down prices for all Minnesotans, including seniors. Earlier this year, Senator Franken and his office held a “Prescription Drug Cost Listening Tour” in communities all across our state to hear concerns firsthand from older Americans who have been hit hard by skyrocketing prices of prescription drugs. He’s also pressed for measures that aim to end anticompetitive agreements in which brand-name drug manufacturers pay generic drug companies to delay market entry of a generic competitor. Beyond that, he’s worked to stop rules that ban the federal Medicare program from negotiating lower prices for drugs used by older Americans.
Klobuchar has championed efforts to address the high cost of prescription drugs, authoring multiple pieces of legislation that would protect American consumers. She has introduced the Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act with Senator John McCain (R-AZ) that would require the Food and Drug Administration to establish a personal importation program that would allow individuals to import a 90-day supply of prescription drugs from an approved Canadian pharmacy. The Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act would expand consumers’ access to the cost-saving generic drugs they need and increase competition between drug manufacturers and choices for consumers by helping to put an end to “pay for delay” deals—the practice of brand-name drug manufacturers using anti-competitive pay-off agreements to keep more affordable generic equivalents off the market. She also joined with Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Mike Lee (R-UT) to introduce the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act to deter pharmaceutical companies from blocking cheaper generic alternatives from entering the marketplace. Additionally, she has introduced the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2015, which would empower Medicare to negotiate for the best possible price of prescription medication. Current law only allows for bargaining by pharmaceutical companies and bans Medicare from doing so.
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