BOSTON (AP)- A growing number of state legislators are signing onto a multifaceted prescription drug bill designed to counter the rising cost of medication by negotiating better prices for state clients and employees.
The bill, which seeks to establish a bulk purchasing program and limit the drugs that can be prescribed, has been endorsed by at least 25 of the 40 state senators and 69 of the 160 members of the House of Representatives.
“The point is, we can spend the same amount of money and get a lot more drugs for those who need them,” said Rep. Patricia Jehlen, D-Somerville, the lead House sponsor of the bill.
In addition to pursuing lower prices, the bill would require pharmaceutical manufacturers doing business in Massachusetts to register with the Board of Pharmacy and to disclose the value, nature and purpose of any promotional gifts, fees or subsidies distributed for marketing purposes.
“For the hundreds of thousands of seniors in the state who need drug that are affordable, please pass the legislation,” Phil Mamber, president of the Massachusetts Senior Action Council, told the Health Care Committee yesterday.
Lawmakers say there is growing impetus for state action given the federal government’s failure to approve a prescription program for the elderly through the Medicaid program and the increasing on the availability of lower priced drugs in Canada. In 2002, Massachusetts spent over $1.2 billion on prescription drugs.
“Now, because we’re in a budget crisis, because there’s no more smoke screen about the federal government doing something, now we at least have the level of support to pass the bill and override any veto,” said Sen. Mark Montigny, D-New Bedford, the bill’s Senate sponsor, who has proposed bulk purchasing bills several times in the past.
The pharmaceutical and biotech industry opposes the initiative. Both argue that the bill would restrict patients’ access to the drugs they need and, by reducing the companies’ profit, make it impossible for the industry to pursue research and development of lifesaving drugs.
“These programs jeopardize the health of patients, interfere with the patient-physician relationship, and are not sound fiscal public policy,” the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America said in a statement.
Supporters of cost controls argue, however, that the pharmaceutical industry is reducing access to lifesaving prescriptions by making them too expensive for many patients.
“The problem is it’s almost useless to do all this research and create all these wonderful drugs if no one can afford them,” said Sen. Richard Moore, D-Uxbridge, co-chairman of the Health Committee.
The bill would establish the Massachusetts Prescription Drug Fair Pricing Program. It would limit which drugs could be prescribed under the state’s Medicaid program, requiring doctors to get special approval before they could prescribe anything not on the list. The goal of that part of the initiative would be to encourage physicians to steer patients to less expensive drugs.
The bill would also create a single purchasing unit that would use the state’s large pool of employees and clients to negotiate better drug prices from the pharmaceutical companies. This would include the state’s Medicaid patients, state employees, as well as citizens receiving services from the Department of Mental Health, Department of Mental Retardation, and the Department of Public Health.
Another section would provide prescription discount cards to those without insurance.
Any legislation would have to be approved and implemented by Gov. Mitt Romney, who has given mixed signals on the topic. He has endorsed bulk purchasing but vetoed a budget proposal that would have implemented it. Romney’s spokeswoman did not return calls for comment.
Whether or not this specific bill is approved by the Legislature, leaders agree that the issue will remain on the front burner.
“It was a big issue. It’s an even bigger issue now,” said Rep. Peter Koutoujian, D-Newton, co-chairman of the Health Care Committee. “The responsibility’s falling to us.”
