Best
wishes to everyone for good things in the New Year, 2013. We are looking
forward to newly elected state legislatures in most of the country starting
this week. While many issues stay the same from year to year, we also expect action,
or at least legislation to be introduced, in some new prescription drug policy areas.
I recently surveyed legislators to find out their priorities, and while I am
still receiving feedback, it looks like regulation of compounding pharmacies
is first on many legislators' to-do lists. Send your feedback to info@reducedrugprices.org
Another
issue legislators will definitely continue to tackle is opiate addiction prevent strategies,
including the emerging issue of the release of patent restrictions on Oxycontin
and Opana, such that new, cheaper, generic versions will not be required to
also incorporate the ant-diversion technology the brand manufacturers
implemented.
Expect
legislators to continue to address concerns
about over-prescribing of psychiatric drugs to children, and the sometimes
related problem of conflicts
of interest caused when medical doctors, some in positions of authority
implementing state pharmaceutical policy, are also on industry payrolls.
Other
hot-button issues are likely to include how
the prescription drug provisions are implemented in the Affordable Care Act,
as determined by essential benefits and mental health parity decisions, and the
intersection of electronic medical
records with privacy concerns. At least one state will be addressing
legislation to allow state employees and private sector businesses to purchase
prescription drugs from Canada and other countries.
Prescription drug prices and overall pharmaceutical costs
continue to motivate many state legislators to take action. In one day right
before Christmas, 20 legislators signed a national letter we circulated calling
on President Obama and Congress to achieve fiscal cliff savings by negotiating
drug prices, not cutting health care. Read the letter.
Legislators
seem to be fighting a losing battle in their efforts to reduce drug prices and
tackle some of the most important pharmaceutical policy issues directly
impacting the health and safety of their constituents. For our editorial on
this, read our Outrage of the Year commentary in our newsletter.
In
any event, over the next year you can count on us to provide you with the
latest information on what state legislators are working on in the 2013
legislative session related to pharmaceutical policy. For the most up-to-date
news, be sure to follow us on Twitter
(@nlarx) and Facebook. We also regularly post news stories and links
to reports and testimony on our website you can also sign
up for our newsletter.
