Patient & Provider Groups Oppose Legislation to Enable International

Reference Pricing for Seniors’ Drugs

Coalition believes proposal by Sen. Sanders, Reps. Khanna and Cummings is likely to restrict
access to lifesaving medicines and lead to adverse unintended consequences.

Washington, DC, January 11, 2019 --(PR.com)-- Today the Part B Access for Seniors and Physicians
Coalition (ASP Coalition) expressed significant concern about the introduction of new drug pricing
legislation because they believe the dramatic reform would threaten patients' access to needed drugs and
result in other unintended consequences for American seniors.

The bill introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Representative Elijah Cummings (D-MD) and
Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA), is intended to allow the U.S. government to determine the cost of
medicine in the United States based on drug prices in five other countries: Canada, the United Kingdom,
France, Germany and Japan. ASP Coalition believes policies used in these countries are intended to
heavily restrict patient access to medicines.

The ASP Coalition is especially concerned with this measure, which they believe is similar to the
Administration's proposed International Pricing Index (IPI) Model to set payment levels based on drug
prices around the world.

In December, the ASP Coalition joined 339 patient, provider and caregiver groups, in submitting a letter
to congressional leaders urging them to block the implementation of the IPI Model. The letter argues the
following: IPI and related Part B reforms would introduce harmful barriers, burdens and inefficiencies
into the American healthcare system; Moreover, price control schemes hinder the research and
development of new breakthrough medicines, while depriving patients and healthcare professionals of the
ability to make key decisions about their care.

“Use of foreign payment policies risks importing access delays to Medicare beneficiaries, limiting patient
choice of provider, and potentially impeding development of more effective medicines for patients,” the
groups warned.

About the Part B Access for Seniors and Physicians (ASP) Coalition
The Part B Access for Seniors and Physicians (ASP) Coalition is opposed to harmful changes to the
program that would exacerbate health care consolidation, increase access restrictions, decrease choice of
therapy, and stifle future innovation for physician-administered treatments. To learn more, visit
partbaccess.org.

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Contact Information:
Part B Access for Seniors and Physicians Coalition
Ellen Almond
(703) 548-1163
Contact via Email
http://www.partbaccess.org/

Online Version of Press Release:

You can read the online version of this press release at: https://www.pr.com/press-release/774234

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