Campaign over Ohio ballot issue to cap drug prices heats up

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

Debate is heating up over an initiative headed to Ohio’s fall ballot that backers say is aimed at controlling drug prices.

The Ohio Drug Price Relief Act is a citizen-initiated statute supported by the California-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation. It seeks to bar state agencies from buying drugs at prices higher than those paid by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which receives deep discounts.

A similar ballot measure went before California voter last year. Proposition 61 failed after the pharmaceutical industry spent $109 million to defeat it, with another $20 million spent in support.

The argument against such restrictions is that they will reduce access to medicines and potentially raise prices for veterans and others.

The argument in favor is that the caps will save the state money and possibly lead to bringing down drug costs more broadly.

Assessing the financial impact of the ballot initiative on Ohio’s finances is difficult.

The Ohio Department of Medicaid, the largest state purchaser of prescription drugs, said it has not yet conducted an analysis.