Rare Access Action Statement on HR 3
On April 22nd, 2021, the House reintroduced Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act (H.R. 3) to address the affordability of drugs and biologicals in the United States, which includes the same redesign of the Medicare Part D benefit that caps beneficiary out-of-pocket costs and shifts a sizeable percentage of those costs back on to the manufacturer. Although we recognize the importance of capping out of pocket patient expenses for rare disease patients, we must weigh those benefits with the risks to the fragile research and development incentives for rare and orphan diseases. Not all drug markets are the same.
