Senate bill would increase access to lower-price generic drugs

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Susan Collins has introduced a prescription drug bill the Congressional Budget Office estimates could save more than $60 billion in health care costs over 10 years. The Greater Access to Affordable Pharmaceuticals Act strengthens the current law that allows generic drugs to come to market. The bipartisan bill is co-sponsored by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and John Edwards, D-N.C.

The cost of popular drugs such as Cardizem CD, Cipro, Prilosec and Zantac could be cut in half if generic alternatives were available, she noted.

The bill would limit brand name manufacturers to a single 30-month stay for patents listed at the time of the brand product approval. This would eliminate the brand-name manufacturers’ ability to ‘stack’ multiple and sequential automatic 30-month stays during patent litigation in order to keep generics off the market and extend their market exclusivity indefinitely.