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Murphy Concerned About Drug Prices and Access to New Cures

June 29, 2020

Washington, D.C. – On Monday, June 29, 2020, Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (NC-03) voted against H.R. 1425, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act. The bill would expand the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare, and institute price controls on prescription drugs. Murphy released the following statement.

"Week in and week out the biggest concern I hear from my patients is the overwhelming cost of their medicine. There is undoubtedly a drug price problem here in the United States and we must do something about it," said Murphy.

"However the price controls that would be instituted if H.R. 1425 became law would completely stifle new drug research and development. What makes matters worse is that we would be doing so during a once in a century pandemic when we need new cures more than ever. Further, policies like these force us to import more drugs from countries like China. At a time of national consensus that we need to rely on fewer drugs from China, passing legislation like this leads to just the opposite result," continued Murphy.

"In divided government, the only way we're going to pass legislation to lower the cost of drugs is if we come together in a bipartisan way. The good news is, there are bipartisan things we can work on together like Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) reform that would save Americans hundreds of millions of dollars on prescription drugs," concluded Murphy.

Earlier in the day, Murphy voiced his concerns about H.R. 1425 on the House floor. A video of his remarks can be found here.

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Murphy opposes H.R. 1425 on the House floor

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