California’s Prop 61 Fails, But More Pricing Measures Could Be Ahead

A combination of effective biopharma industry opposition as well as a poorly designed policy proposal probably doomed the drug pricing measure.

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The biopharmaceutical industry prevailed in California as the ballot initiative Proposition 61 to limit drug prices was defeated Nov. 8 by nearly an eight-point margin. But the defeat does not forestall future ballot efforts aimed at pharmaceutical price controls.

The vote on Prop 61 ended up with 53.8% voting no and 46.2% voting yes. If approved, it would have regulated prescription drug prices by requiring state agencies to pay no more than what the US Department of Veterans Affairs pays for a drug, which would effectively extend the discounts biopharma companies make available to the VA health system to people covered under other state health care programs, such as Medi-Cal and the California Public Employees Retirement System

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