PIRG urges agencies to break down barriers to generic drugs
Advocates for regulatory changes to end anti-competitive practices and patent abuse to bring lower-cost generic drugs to pharmacy shelves sooner.
Click below to read PIRG's comments
On Thursday, January 19, 2023 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) are holding a joint public listening session to “ensure that our innovation system strikes the appropriate balance—encouraging meaningful innovation in drug development and supporting a competitive marketplace that can promote greater access to medicines for American families.”
Patricia Kelmar, PIRG’s senior director for health care campaigns, was selected to speak at Thursday’s session and will focus her remarks on how the two agencies can better collaborate to break down barriers that prevent generic drugs from competing on the marketplace. PIRG submitted comments in advance of the meeting.
The agencies are holding this listening session in response to President Joe Biden’s 2021 Executive Order on Competition which specifically called for greater support for generic and biosimilar drugs to provide low-cost options for the people who need them.
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Authors
Patricia Kelmar
Senior Director, Health Care Campaigns, PIRG
Patricia directs the health care campaign work for U.S. PIRG and provides support to our state offices for state-based health initiatives. Her prior roles include senior director of health policy with the National Consumers League, senior policy advisor at NJ Health Care Quality Institute, and consumer advocate at NJPIRG. She serves on the Ground Ambulance and Patient Billing Advisory Committee at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Patricia enjoys walks along the Potomac River and sharing her love of books with her friends and family around the world.
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