U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Announces Support for CREATES Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, announced her support for the CREATES Act, bipartisan legislation that deters pharmaceutical companies from blocking less expensive prescription drug alternatives from entering the marketplace, which would help families and patients afford critical medications. 

“Drug corporations are sticking it to Americans with skyrocketing prescription drug prices,” said Senator Baldwin. “I’ve heard from countless Wisconsinites who continue to see dramatic price increases. They are struggling to afford their prescriptions that they have relied on for years and they want Washington to act. This bipartisan reform will help ease the burdens of skyrocketing prescription drug costs by expanding access to affordable lifesaving treatments and preventing certain actions to game the system by drug corporations, who continue to jack up prices for patients and families.”

The Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act, led by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), provides a better deal on prescription drug costs for consumers by preventing pharmaceutical companies from blocking cheaper generic alternatives from entering the marketplace.

The CREATES Act combats anticompetitive practices used by some brand-name pharmaceutical and biologic companies to block the entry of lower-cost generic drugs in the market. The legislation would deter pharmaceutical companies from denying samples to generic companies for product testing and gives the FDA more flexibility to make determinations with respect to single Risk Evaluation Mitigation Strategy (REMS) distribution systems.

The CREATES Act is strongly supported by AARP, Association for Accessible Medicines, Patients for Affordable Drugs, the Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing, and America’s Health Insurance Plans. The bill is also supported by consumer groups including Consumers Union, Public Citizen and Families USA, the American College of Physicians, AFL-CIO and the National Coalition on Health Care.

The bill is also cosponsored by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mike Lee (R-UT), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Susan Collins (R-ME), John McCain (R-AZ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Rand Paul (R-KY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Kennedy (R-LA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Steve Daines (R-MT) and Angus King (I-ME).

Senator Baldwin has been steadfast in holding pharmaceutical corporations accountable for rising drug costs. Senators Baldwin and John McCain (R-AZ) introduced the FAIR Drug Pricing Act last year to address skyrocketing prescription drug prices by requiring transparency for pharmaceutical corporations that plan to increase drug prices. Recently, Senators Baldwin and McCain sent a letter to President Trump urging him to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable and make good on his promise to lower the cost of prescription drugs that American families depend on.