It’s a quiet week in the New Hampshire Legislature because of February school vacation week.
However, a bill just recently came to my attention, and while it has already had a public hearing, it could use some support this week leading up to the committee vote at the beginning of March.
N.H. House
Commerce
⭐ SUPPORT –HB1365
I had a difficult time wrapping my head around this bill, and I suspect the committee feels the same way, which is why they are considering sending the bill to study. We want them to pass this free market healthcare solution.
This bill allows a pharmacist to substitute biosimilars. Biosimilars are drugs that have shown in clinical trials to be as safe and effective as to be comparable.
As an example using the chart above, Humira is priced at $3,300, Drug B is $1,200, and Drug C is $600. Without the bill, should a provider prescribe B at $1,200, a pharmacist may only dispense drug B or Humira at $3,300. The bill allows a pharmacist to offer Drug C at $600 when Drug B at $1,200 has been prescribed or Humira at $3,300.
Big Pharma does not like this bill because they obviously would like to keep their monopolies protected, but the European Medicines Association has been operating like this for years with no safety issues.
Pharmaceutical lobbyists have indicated that the FDA does not allow this type of substitution, but that isn’t true. There is nothing in the federal code or statute that prohibits it.
Please tell the committee that this is a safe, free-market solution to reduce pharmaceutical prices.
✉️ Email the committee
HouseCommerceCommittee@leg.state.nh.us
