SILVER SPRING, Md. 鈥� Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh wants to hear from residents who have seen the price of their generic prescription drugs go up 鈥� in some cases, way up.
Frosh joined lawmakers and health care professionals at a news conference Tuesday to tout the state鈥檚 new anti-price gouging law that targets generic prescription drugs. He encouraged residents to detail their experiences on the website .
Frosh explained the new law went into effect Oct. 1. 鈥淛ust before it did, the pharmaceutical industry sued us and said that this measure is unconstitutional.鈥� Frosh said the case is now being appealed, but added in the meantime, his office wants to hear from consumers who may be potential victims of price gouging.
At Tuesday鈥檚 event at Riderwood Village, a senior living community in Silver Spring, Prince George鈥檚 County Executive Rushern Baker offered his own experience of seeing the price of generic drugs jump. Baker鈥檚 wife,聽Christa, was diagnosed with early-onset dementia at the age of 48 in 2010. Baker聽told the audience his wife is now on several medications 鈥渇or life鈥攖hat will never change.鈥�
He needed to refill a prescription recently and was told there was a problem with authorizing the prescription through his insurance at the time. Baker said he told the pharmacist the prescription had to be refilled.
鈥淚t was a seizure medicine, and I鈥檓 guaranteed if she doesn鈥檛 have it she鈥檒l have another seizure and we鈥檒l be back in the emergency room,鈥� Baker said. He was told he鈥檇 have to pay full price, and agreed to do that.
Baker said he was stunned to find the cost of the drug had gone from less than $100 to $300. Baker told the crowd, 鈥淚 have some of the best insurance in the world as county executive. I have access to some of the best doctors. I have resources.鈥� But he urged listeners to think about a person who can鈥檛 afford $300, and further, to wonder why a generic drug already out on the market would go up by that much鈥攅ven over a period of years.
State health officials have been concerned about the prices of several medications that they say are critically important to patients. The attorney general鈥檚 office says the price of Naloxone, the medication used to treat opioid overdoses, skyrocketed by 533 percent between October 2013 and April 2014. EpiPens, which can save lives for those who suffer life-threatening allergic reactions, have gone up in price by 503 percent in the same time period.
The Association for Accessible Medicines has sued the state over the new law, claiming it鈥檚 unconstitutional and violates the interstate commerce law. Further, the suit alleges the law is vague and reduced consumers鈥� choice in medications. A lower court judge dismissed a large chunk of the case, which was then promptly appealed and is currently pending, Frosh said.
Dr. Steve Rockower, the past president of Med-Chi, the Maryland State Medical Society, told Tuesday鈥檚 crowd that having laws to keep down the prices of generic medications 鈥渋s vitally important.鈥�
He added, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know from laws; I don鈥檛 take care of legislation鈥擨 take care of patients. When patients are not taking their medicines because they can鈥檛 afford them, I can鈥檛 do my job.鈥�
