Klobuchar is the author of multiple pieces of legislation to address the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar today released the following statement on the Department of Justice investigation of the pharmaceutical industry for possible price collusion. The criminal investigation into suspected price-fixing between generic company executives began about two years ago and encompasses more than a dozen companies and about two dozen drugs.
“These allegations of price-fixing in the pharmaceutical industry are serious and must be examined closely,” Klobuchar said. “Rising drug prices continue to pose a significant burden for American taxpayers, and I urge the Department of Justice to quickly determine whether antitrust violations have occurred.”
Klobuchar has championed efforts to address the high cost of prescription drugs, authoring multiple pieces of legislation that would protect American consumers. The Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act would expand consumers’ access to the cost-saving generic drugs they need and increase competition between drug manufacturers and choices for consumers by helping to put an end to “pay for delay” deals—the practice of brand-name drug manufacturers using anti-competitive pay-off agreements to keep more affordable generic equivalents off the market. She also joined with Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Mike Lee (R-UT) to introduce the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act to deter pharmaceutical companies from blocking cheaper generic alternatives from entering the marketplace. She has introduced the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2015, that would empower Medicare to negotiate for the best possible price of prescription medication. Current law only allows for bargaining by pharmaceutical companies and bans Medicare from doing so. She has also introduced the Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act with Senator John McCain (R-AZ) that would require the Food and Drug Administration to establish a personal importation program that would allow individuals to import a 90-day supply of prescription drugs from an approved Canadian pharmacy.
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