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GPhA Statement on Bipartisan Group of Former Senate Leaders Call for Passage of Biogenerics Legislation

Arlington, VA, June 17, 2009 – The Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA) released the following statement today from GPhA President and CEO Kathleen Jaeger on the release of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Report, “Crossing Our Lines: Working Together to Reform the U.S. Health System.”

“Today, the creation of a workable approval pathway for biogeneric medicines received an important bipartisan endorsement from noted former Senate Majority Leaders and Chairmen of the Bipartisan Policy Center, Howard Baker, Tom Daschle and Bob Dole. This endorsement from three top former Senate leaders with extensive health policy experience sends an important message to Congress that the time has come to pass legislation that brings safe and affordable lifesaving biogenerics to patients sooner rather than later. GPhA joins these leaders in urging Congress to resolve the outstanding issue of exclusivity, particularly in light of last week’s findings by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that providing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with the authority to approve biogenerics would be ‘an efficient way to bring these lower-priced drugs to market’ and that the exclusivity period being pushed by the brands is ‘too long to promote innovation.’ ”

GPhA represents the manufacturers and distributors of finished generic pharmaceuticals, manufacturers and distributors of bulk active pharmaceutical chemicals, and suppliers of other goods and services to the generic drug industry. Generics represent 69% of the total prescriptions dispensed in the United States, but only 16% of all dollars spent on prescription drugs. For more information about the industry, visit www.gphaonline.org.
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