PCMA launches ad campaign to push Senate on biosimilars

WASHINGTON An organization of the country’s pharmacy benefit managers has launched a new ad campaign to nudge senators on biosimilars.

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association announced Thursday the launch of the campaign, directed at members of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, hoping they will include “real” biosimilars legislation as part of healthcare reform.

The ad features a photo of a toddler and the caption “Meet the first recipient of an affordable biologic for hemophilia. He’ll be 66 years old when he finally gets it.”

“If this week’s report is accurate that Washington and the drug company lobby have reached some kind of new health reform ‘agreement,’ we sincerely hope that biogenerics is not part of it,” PCMA president and CEO Mark Merritt said in a statement. “The drug lobby will truly have reason to celebrate if Washington either ignores biogenerics reform or, worse, establishes a new process that could actually forbid competition for years after patents expire.”