Curbing Unfair Drug Prices: A Primer for States
Global Health Justice Partnership Policy Paper, August 2017
24 Pages Posted: 27 Nov 2017
Date Written: August 8, 2017
Abstract
The high cost of prescription drugs in the United States is unsustainable. The need for legislative action is urgent. To date, however, the federal government has failed to take—and many policymakers have not even considered—meaningful steps to curb drug prices. As often occurs, state legislatures have stepped in to fill the policy vacuum. Recently, path-breaking drug pricing legislation has passed in Maryland, New York, and Nevada. Several other states have considered bills mandating the study of options to lower drug prices. This document aims to inform these state legislative efforts by identifying key steps that states can and should take to reduce drug prices. Intended for legislators, government officials, advocates, and constituents concerned about high drug prices, this document focuses, as state legislatures have, on two promising categories of legislative efforts: (1) unfair pricing bills and (2) transparency and reporting bills.
Keywords: Prescription, Drug Prices, Health, States, Federalism, Trade Secret, Patent Law, Transparency
JEL Classification: I1
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation