President Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) joined together Wednesday to highlight the Administration’s efforts to lower costs of prescriptions. Jumping on the acknowledgment from both leaders that “more needs to be done,” the Campaign for Personal Prescription Importation is calling for immediate action to enact importation legislation.
“We applaud President Biden and Chairman Sanders' efforts to lower the costs of medicines. However, wins like Medicare price negotiation are limited in scope and are yet to be realized. It’s time now for Congress and the Administration to deliver immediate relief to American patients and advance personal prescription importation,” says CPPI Executive Director Jack Pfeiffer.
Biden and Sanders highlighted the cost-cutting provisions included in the Inflation Reduction Act like the $35 cap on insulin and Medicare price negotiations. Major inhaler manufacturers have recently capped the cost of their products at Sanders’ urging.
“Let us be clear, despite all that we have accomplished up to now. It is not enough. Much, much more needs to be done,” said Sanders.
Sanders has long been a leader on importation as a solution for reducing drug costs and has the power to advance legislation in the Senate. For over a decade Sanders has been the lead sponsor on the Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act. Now as chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sanders arguably holds greater power than ever to advance this long-term objective. Prescription importation enjoys support from over 78% of the American public, bi-partisan and bi-cameral support, for the first time ever has been given a green light from the FDA, and is already relied upon by millions of Americans for access to critical daily medications.
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