[Ip-health] PhRMA THREATENS TO WITHDRAW SUPPORT FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM BILLS IN RESPONSE TO PROGRESS ON BIOLOGICS FRONT

[Anjali Dalal]

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*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

**
Ethan Guillen, Executive Director, Universities Allied for Essential
Medicines
(775) 287 2553
ethan.guillen@essentialmedicine.org

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*PhRMA THREATENS TO WITHDRAW SUPPORT FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM BILLS IN
RESPONSE TO PROGRESS ON BIOLOGICS FRONT*

Billy Tauzin, head of PhRMA, sent the following email to Pharma Board
Members in response to efforts to reduce the excessive 12 year monopoly
period for biologics contained in current health care reform bills.
 Universities Allied for Essential Medicines supports a shorter period of
exclusivity.  You can read more here:
http://affordablemedsnow.org/index.php/learnmore/.

*Tauzin writes:*

Mr. Waxman is pushing hard, with the support of the President, to drop our
12-year FOB period down.  We are all letting everyone we know hear that we
could *not* support the bill if this happens.  Please activate immediately
all of your contacts.

Billy

In response, Ethan Guillen, Executive Director of UAEM made the following
statement:

"Big Pharma is once again holding patients hostage as it fights for high
drug prices.  Biologics have similar R&D costs to conventional drugs and
therefore do not merit the unprecedented 12 years of monopoly protection
offered in current health care reform bills.  Through Rep. Anna Eshoo and
others, Pharma has found a champion for industry interests that will keep
drug prices high and out of the hands of many patients.  In threatening to
oppose health care reform if the excessive 12 year period is reduced, Pharm=
a
once again is putting greed above good public policy."


Universities Allied for Essential Medicines and the American Medical Studen=
t
Association also sent the attached letter to President Obama thanking him
for continuing to fight for consumers by pushing for fewer years of monopol=
y
for biologic medicines.

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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.
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