[Ip-health] Press Release: Biologics Push on Capitol Hill

[Anjali Dalal]

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*For Immediate Release
   *

* *

* *

*Kim Cunningham, American Medical Student Association (AMSA), Phone: (781)
223-4042 pr@amsa.org*

* *

*Ethan Guillen, Director, Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM=
)
*

*Phone: (775) 287-2553 ethan.guillen@essentialmedicine.org*

* *

* *

*MEDICAL AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN DC, BALTIMORE, PALO ALTO AND RALEIGH
ASK THEIR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS: *

*WILL YOU VOTE TO TRICK OR TREAT PATIENTS ? ***



Today, students from the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) and
Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) AffordableMedsNow.org
campaign -- some wearing their ghostly white lab coats  -- will visit the
offices of legislators across the country to give out =93treats=94 and urge=
 them
not to =93trick=94 the nation=92s patients with a fake generic biologic dru=
gs
proposal that will actually block price-lowering generic competition and
access to life-saving biologic medicines. Events are planned in Washington,
D.C., Baltimore, Raleigh N.C. and Palo Alto, Calif.

Current proposals contained in Senate and House healthcare reform
legislation that purport to create a pathway to allow affordable biogeneric=
s
to come to market will in fact do the opposite, creating only the illusion
of generic competition for most biologics.  But if these proposals are
improved in critical ways, they could save American consumers and taxpayers
$71 billion or more in the first decade alone.

=93As future physicians we want to ensure that life-saving generic biologic
drugs are made affordable and accessible to our patients,=94 says Dr. Laure=
n
Hughes, MPH, AMSA national president. =93We are calling upon Congress to fi=
x
the biogenerics proposals in the healthcare reform bills because they
currently do not promote access to these very high priced and
important  medicines.=94


Biologics are special medicines derived from living cells. They include mos=
t
vaccines and the majority of anti-cancer agents and treatments for multiple
sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Biologics are the fastest growing
segment of the prescription drug market, and are predicted to soon be 50
percent of new drug approvals. The pharmaceutical industry charges 22 times
more on average for biologics than other drugs, event though they cost abou=
t
the same to develop.  Examples include breast cancer drug Herceptin which i=
s
priced at $37,000 per patient per year and Humira, used to treat rheumatoid
arthritis and Crohn=92s disease, which is priced at $50,000 annually.  Alre=
ady,
the top six selling biologics make up over 40 percent of the Medicare Part =
B
spending.

=93Almost everyone knows someone affected by cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, =
or
kidney failure,=94 says Jane Andrews, a UAEM medical and public health stud=
ent
at Johns Hopkins University who is an organizing today=92s event at Senator
Barbara Mikulski=92s Baltimore office. =93Public health professionals like
myself see patients every day who lack access to biologic drugs to treat
these conditions because of their exorbitant prices. This is why the
AffordableMedsNow.org campaign has gathered such strong support from medica=
l
students across the country in such a short period of time.  We know that
unless major improvements are made to the biogenerics proposals currently
before Congress, huge numbers of our patients will never be able to afford
the lifesaving biologic medicines they need.=94

[MSOffice1]<#124a69bc435f99e4_124a68e9d7296505_124a68c970dfa636_124a68c01b1=
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 You can find more information on the campaign at
http://www.AffordableMedsNOW.org <http://www.affordablemedsnow.org/> **

   - Media Contact for Baltimore, MD event: Jane Andrews, Student Organizer=
;
   Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, (513) 807-0394, jandrews@jhsph.edu
   - Media Contact for Palo Alto, CA event: Connie Chen, Student
   Co-Organizer;  (626) 806-3705, Conn.Chen@gmail.com
   - Media Contact for Raleigh, NC event Quang Pham, Student Organizer,
   UNC-Chapel Hill; Phone: (704) 763=960170, quang_pham@med.unc.edu
   - Media Contact for Washington, DC event: Laura Musselwhite, AMSA and
   UAEM Student Organizer; (336) 908-6635; laura.musselwhite@gmail.com



###

About Universities Allied for Essential Medicines

Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) is a coalition of
students at over 50 top research institutions across the United States,
Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany.  UAEM=92s mission is to ensure tha=
t
people in developing countries have access to medicines developed in
universities and that university medical research addresses the needs of th=
e
majority of the world=92s population.  As an organization which values
innovation, we work to empower students to find new ways to improve access
to health throughout the world. www.essentialmedicine.org.



*About the American Medical Student Association*

The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), with more than a
half-century history of medical student activism, is the oldest and largest
independent association of physicians-in-training in the United
States.  Founded
in 1950, AMSA is a student-governed, non-profit organization committed to
representing the concerns of physicians-in-training.  With more than 62,000
members, including medical and premedical students, residents and practicin=
g
physicians, AMSA is committed to improving medical training as well as
advancing the profession of medicine.  To learn more about AMSA, our
strategic priorities, or joining the organization, please visit us online a=
t
http://www.amsa.org/. **
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