Bipartisan Senate support demonstrates broad support for commonsense, transparent solutions to high drug prices, and holding drug makers accountable
Americans for Lower Drug Prices (ALDP) today praised the Virginia General Assembly for passing legislation to establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB), marking a significant victory for patients struggling with unaffordable prescription drug costs.
The Affordable Medicine Act passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in the Virginia Senate by a 31-8 margin, with eleven Republicans joining twenty Democrats in supporting the legislation. The House of Delegates subsequently passed the measure 61-33.
“Virginia’s strong bipartisan Senate vote demonstrates that prescription drug affordability transcends party lines when policymakers focus on solutions that promote transparency, protect patients, and hold pharmaceutical companies accountable,” said Jason Young and Michael Glassner, ALDP co-founders. “This legislation promises to extend Medicare’s negotiated drug prices to hundreds of thousands of Virginians while establishing a framework for reviewing other high-cost medications that burden families and employers. In an election year where everyone is talking about affordability, this vote is as family-friendly, small business-friendly, and taxpayer-friendly as can be.”
The legislation establishes a PDAB that will have authority to set upper payment limits on prescription drugs that pose affordability challenges to patients. The board will also extend Medicare-negotiated prices on 25 critical medications to Virginians not enrolled in Medicare.
ALDP has strong confidence that Governor Abigail Spanberger will sign the legislation into law, noting her comments on the campaign trail and that 84% of Virginians support prescription drug affordability measures according to recent polling.
“This victory in Virginia provides a powerful model for other states grappling with prescription drug affordability,” Young and Glassner added. “When we focus on manufacturer list prices – the root cause of affordability problems – we can build the bipartisan coalitions necessary to deliver real relief to patients, since everyone else is downstream from manufacturers’ pricing decisions.”
With the governor’s signature, Virginia will become the fifth state in the country with a PDAB with upper payment limit authority, joining Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington State.
About Americans for Lower Drug Prices
Americans for Lower Drug Prices is a national 501(c)(4) advocacy organization focused on the root cause of unaffordable medications: unchecked prices set by manufacturers. We amplify patient voices, advocate for policies that hold manufacturers accountable, and help ensure access for vulnerable and rural Americans. Learn more at lowerrxprices.org.
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