[Ip-health] State legislators met on drug prices, trade

[Flynn, Sean M.]

NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE ASSOCIATION ON PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES

Media Advisory

For immediate release: May 18, 2006

Contact: Sharon Treat, 207-242-8558 (cell), nlarx@gwi.net

State Legislators Meet on Prescription Drug Prices, Importation, and Indust=
ry Tactics

Friday Meeting in Nation's Capitol will hear from former Pfizer whistleblow=
er Peter Rost


            Washington, DC - Against the backdrop of a continuing debate ov=
er the merits and implementation of the federal Medicare drug benefit "Part=
 D," state legislators from across the Northeast will meet this Friday, May=
 19th in the Nation's Capitol to plan initiatives to reduce drug prices and=
 expand access to prescription drugs in the states.  The Legislators are me=
mbers of the National Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Prices.

Many of those attending have already passed groundbreaking legislation that=
 has gotten the attention of the industry, and they are looking to expand t=
he reach of their states to affect national policies such as trade, and pha=
rmaceutical industry practices including aggressive advertising and marketi=
ng.  Legislators will attend from states including New Hampshire, which jus=
t passed a first-in-Nation ban on using doctors' prescribing data for drug =
marketing purposes; West Virginia, which passed a sweeping law requiring ne=
gotiation of prices; Maine, which is in court right now over its first-in-N=
ation pharmacy benefit laws; and Pennsylvania, which is implementing an agg=
ressive "counter detailing" effort to counteract over-the-top drug marketin=
g tactics.  The meeting is hosted by District of Columbia Council Member Da=
vid Catania, who has passed a series of significant bills aimed at reducing=
 drug costs, including the excessive pricing legislation currently being ch=
allenged by the drug industry in federal court.  Other states expected to b=
e represented include Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont.


The KEYNOTE PRESENTATION will be presented by pharmaceutical industry whist=
leblower Peter Rost, MD, a former Vice President of Pfizer and the first dr=
ug company executive to speak out in favor of reimportation of drugs. Attor=
ney Sean Flynn will present on "State Regulation of Excessive Drug Prices".=
  Mr. Flynn is with Spiegel & McDiarmid in Washington, D.C. and is an exper=
t in the law governing access to medicines. He previously was Senior Attorn=
ey for the Consumer Project on Technology where he focused on access to AID=
s drugs and other medications in developing countries.



            Michelle Spetman of the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology & Phar=
macoeconomics at Brigham & Women's Hospital (associated with Harvard Medica=
l School) will present the details of the Pennsylvania counter-detailing in=
itiative, and the legislators will also get an update on the progress of Co=
nsumers Union's evidence-based Best Buy Drugs Program from Gail Shearer, He=
alth Policy Director of Consumers Union.



The legislators will participate in a roundtable discussion on the latest a=
ction on prescription drug policy in the states, including PBM regulation a=
nd litigation, advertising & marketing, confidentiality, disclosure of clin=
ical trials data, and trade policy. There will be an update on Medicare Par=
t D and state action on Resolutions urging Congress to fix the program.  Th=
ey are expected to take up additional resolutions on trade policy and adver=
tising at the meeting.



            The National Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Price=
s is a nonpartisan organization of state legislators working jointly across=
 state lines to reduce prescription drug prices and expand access. All of t=
he New England states plus New York, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, West Virginia an=
d the District of Columbia are members, and legislators from Alaska, Arizon=
a, California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Washington, New Mexico and Oklahoma =
have also joined as individuals or participate in the Legislative Working G=
roup on Prescription Drugs and Trade which is coordinated by the Associatio=
n.



Maine State Senator Arthur Mayo, who chairs the Association, said: "While C=
ongress has designed an expensive, complicated drug program in Part D that =
is a giveaway to the industry and doesn't even provide great benefits, stat=
e legislators are tackling the issue of drug affordability by taking aim at=
 the source of the problem.  The states are leading the Nation in finding w=
ays to expand access to affordable, necessary medicines, while taking on th=
e pharmaceutical industry over misleading advertising, overpriced drugs, tr=
ade agreements that keep affordable medications out of the country, and mid=
dlemen that reap profits while adding little of value to the equation."  Sh=
aron Treat, the Association's Executive Director, said:  "In sharp contrast=
 to our federal government, our member states are focused on price negotiat=
ion, regulating fraudulent practices of drug middlemen, and insuring that c=
onsumer drug plans are easily accessed and affordable."



The meeting is this Friday from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm in the District of Colum=
bia's Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.  Complete details abou=
t the meeting are on the Association's website at www.nlarx.org.  Press pas=
ses are available by contacting Sharon Treat at nlarx@gwi.net or calling 20=
7-242-8558 on Thursday