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State Rep. Nabeela Syed, D-Palatine, held a press conference
with state Sens. Graciela Guzmán, D-Chicago, and Rachel Ventura,
D-Joliet, on Friday to lobby for the board that would impose
price caps on certain drugs.
Syed said pharmaceutical industry advocates pushed back because
the PDAB would affect their bottom line.
“Their efforts to dwindle down our legislation and to remove
upper payment limits, components that actually would give our
legislation teeth and the ability to reign in costs, we refused
to back down in those areas,” Syed said.
Pharmaceutical and Research Manufacturers of America said data
from the federal Inflation Reduction Act shows that government
price-setting is failing to deliver on its promises to patients
while creating new risks to innovation, access and
affordability.
Senate Bill 3496 returned to the Senate for concurrence after
clearing the House by a vote of 62-39 on May 21.
Before House members voted, Syed moved that the bill’s fiscal
notes be ruled inapplicable.
Republican state Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis, urged a
no vote.
“What exactly will be the cost of this bill? What impact will
this bill have on our state? And yet here we are again, avoiding
what is in the rules and in the law so we will know what the
cost of things are that we’re voting on,” Windhorst said.
Syed said on Friday that the program’s cost would be about
$750,000 and would be paid for by fees on drug manufacturers.
Syed said she has engaged with budgeteers on the House side in
an attempt to land a $250,000 appropriation needed to get the
board started before it collects fees.
When asked on Friday how close the bill was to getting enough
votes to pass in the Senate, Guzmán said the conversations were
ongoing.
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