California NAACP and Seniors Join Patient Advocacy Groups To Raise Concerns About SB 1010

SACRAMENTO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–California NAACP joins the California Chronic Care Coalition, California
Senior Advocates League, Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA),
Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, TechNet, California
Hepatitis C Task Force and others to voice concerns regarding SB 1010, a
bill by State Sen. Ed Hernandez, which prioritizes paperwork, red tape
and bureaucracy over research, and instead of improving patient access
and affordability, places patients in California at risk. SB 1010 is
scheduled to be heard in the California Assembly Health Committee today.

“For those who do have decent access to good health care, SB 1010 may
inadvertently threaten patient’s access to medications,” said Alice
Huffman, President of the CA NAACP. “These shortages can lead to
disruptions in patient access to medications which could threaten the
health of California citizens living with chronic conditions.”

“We need to prioritize medical innovation and make sure we continue to
enact public policies that make ground-breaking medical advances
possible,” said Ron Bartek, President of Friedreich’s Ataxia Research
Alliance (FARA), whose son died of the rare disease, Friedreich’s Ataxia
(FA). “SB 1010 could disrupt patients suffering debilitating or deadly
diseases from receiving life-saving medicines, all while burdening our
healthcare system by prioritizing paperwork, red tape, and bureaucracy
over research and development.”

“SB 1010 puts patient access to medicine at risk, promoting the hoarding
of needed medicines by large purchasers and encouraging the growth of a
medication ‘gray market’ where secondary distributors sell to the
highest bidder,” said Sara Radcliffe, President & CEO, California Life
Sciences Association (CLSA). “This will increasingly lead to shortages
and disruptions in treatments for patients in dire need of essential
medicines, and any pharmacies, hospitals and patients who must go to a
secondary distributor for a scarce medicine will no doubt see huge price
mark-ups.”

“Unfortunately, SB 1010 threatens the vision we have for our health care
system,” said Liz Helms, President & CEO, California Chronic Care
Coalition. “For those living with chronic illness, access to medications
and continuity of care is essential for quality of life. We are
concerned this bill does not take into account the value medication
plays in the lives of the millions of Californians living with a chronic
condition.”

“We believe that access to healthcare and medications are essential for
both aging seniors and future generations,” said John Kehoe, Board
Member of the California Senior Advocates League. “SB 1010 creates a new
level of bureaucracy that could clog the system, compromising a
patient’s ability to access their prescriptions. Furthermore, advanced
notice on price increases could lead to stockpiling and shortages.”

“The supposed purpose of the bill is to provide transparency in
prescription drug pricing that will ultimately lead to lower costs and
more access,” said Thomas Schatz from Council for Citizens Against
Government Waste. “Unfortunately, the exact opposite will happen; costs
could likely increase, which would harm patients.”

“I know first-hand the importance of patient access to life-saving
medicines, and the importance of having meaningful health insurance that
covers the cost of that treatment,” said William Remak, California
Hepatitis C Task Force. “SB 1010 could be an obstacle for patients
suffering from treatable, but potentially deadly diseases and put
patient access to medicine at risk. We need comprehensive reforms that
address all the key pressure points in our healthcare system that create
bad outcomes for patients.”

Click
here for letters of concern and additional information on the
pitfalls of SB 1010.

About California Life Sciences Association (CLSA)

California Life Sciences Association (CLSA) is the leading voice driving
innovation for California’s life sciences sector. CLSA works closely
with industry, government, academia and other stakeholders to shape
public policy, drive business solutions and grow California’s life
sciences innovation ecosystem. CLSA serves over 750 biotechnology,
pharmaceutical, medical device, and diagnostics companies, research
universities and institutes, investors and service providers. CLSA was
founded in 2015 when the Bay Area Bioscience Association (BayBio) and
the California Healthcare Institute (CHI) merged to create the state’s
most influential life sciences advocacy and business leadership
organization. Visit CLSA at www.califesciences.org,
and follow us on Twitter @CALifeSciences,
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Contacts

California Life Sciences Association
Will Zasadny, 619-961-8848
Wzasadny@califesciences.org