Statement attributable to:
Robert McLean, MD, FACP
President, ¹Ü¼ÒÆÅÐÄË®ÂÛ̳
Washington, DC (September 20, 2019) — The ¹Ü¼ÒÆÅÐÄË®ÂÛ̳ (ACP) is encouraged that the release of the new plan from U.S. House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, signals that Congress is serious about working on a plan to address rising prescription drug costs. The College is pleased that the bill focuses on keeping drugs affordable for patients and includes provisions that would support research into new therapies and treatment options. ACP firmly believes that prescription medications are only as effective as a patient’s ability to access and adhere to treatment as prescribed.
ACP specifically supports the provisions that would allow Medicare to negotiate prices with manufacturers. The College has longstanding policy supporting the ability of Medicare to leverage its purchasing power and directly negotiate with manufacturers for drug prices. Although ACP does not have policy on several of the specific provisions in the bill, we are supportive of its overall goals and direction, particularly the emphasis on negotiation and transparency in drug pricing.
Additionally, ACP outlined its support for increasing transparency in the pricing, cost, and comparative value of all pharmaceutical products in our 2016 policy paper, . We also support broad efforts by federal regulators to ensure that information about a drug's effectiveness and safety, and about alternative treatments, is clearly disclosed to patients.
ACP looks forward to continuing to work with Congress in developing policies that seek to level drug pricing and getting prescription drugs to the market and into the hands of the patients who need them most.
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About the ¹Ü¼ÒÆÅÐÄË®ÂÛ̳
The ¹Ü¼ÒÆÅÐÄË®ÂÛ̳ is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 145 countries worldwide. ACP membership includes 159,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on , , and .
Contact: Julie Hirschhorn, (202) 261-4523, jhirschhorn@acponline.org