The Honorable Frank Pallone, Jr.
Chairman
House Energy and Commerce Committee
2107 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Greg Walden
Ranking Member
House Energy and Commerce Committee
2185 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Anna G. Eshoo
House Energy and Commerce Committee
202 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Michael C. Burgess
House Energy and Commerce Committee
2161 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 2051
Dear Chairman Pallone, Ranking Member Walden, Representative Eshoo, and Representative Burgess:
On behalf of ASHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists), I am writing in support of H.R. 965, the “Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act of 2019” and H.R. 1499 the “Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drugs Act of 2019.” ASHP thanks the Subcommittee on Health of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for discussing these two pieces of legislation during the March 27 markup session. These bills would increase transparency, competition, and value in the prescription drug market.
ASHP represents pharmacists who serve as patient care providers in acute and ambulatory settings. The organization’s nearly 50,000 members include pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians. For more than 75 years, ASHP has been at the forefront of efforts to improve medication use and enhance patient safety.
H.R. 965 and H.R. 1499 are consistent with ASHP’s vision that medication use will be optimal, safe, and effective for all people, all of the time. A primary tenet of that vision includes access to affordable medications needed to save or sustain lives. According to a recent Kaiser Health Tracking Poll, 29 percent of adults report that they are not taking their medications as prescribed due to increased cost, with 8 percent of those individuals reporting that their condition has worsened as a result of poor medication adherence.
ASHP thanks you for considering these important pieces of legislation. We look forward to working with you to move the bills forward.
Sincerely,
Kasey K. Thompson, Pharm.D., M.S., M.B.A.
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer