Scott Knoer, M.S., Pharm.D, serves as Chief Pharmacy Officer for the Cleveland Clinic, one of the largest hospitals nationwide. In an October 23 op-ed for The Hill titled “Antidote to rising drug prices languishes on the Hill”, he shared his perspective on rising drug prices and identified one solution in particular that would help bring them down. The solution, as he believes it, is for Congress to take action on bipartisan legislation known as the CREATES Act.
Dr. Knoer writes: “One simple, effective tool is sitting right in front of Congress and the White House. It’s called the CREATES Act of 2018. It’s bipartisan. It’s taking aim at drug prices by restoring true competition to the marketplace. And the Congressional Budget Office scored it as a $3.9 billion money-saver.”
The Biosimilars Council agrees with Mr. Knoer’s conclusion and is in support of the CREATES Act (S. 974/H.R. 2212) to be taken up by Congress and ultimately enacted into law. As Dr. Knoer notes, “The CREATES Act has easily passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, with support from both the right and left. If we really want to put American patients first, let’s pass the act and end anti-competitive pharmaceutical practices that are keeping drugs prices high.”
The CREATES Act, if passes, would seek to stop brand company actions that limit biosimilars developers’ access to samples for testing. Securing access to samples is critical to demonstrating biosimilarity, which is essential to biosimilar approval by the FDA. Without access to samples, biosimilars face steeper hurdles to approval, ultimately limiting patient access to essential medicines.
Dr. Knoer’s op-ed comes as National Pharmacist Month comes to a close. Read how pharmacists are supporting biosimilars.
Click here to read the full op-ed.
