Virginia doctors support board to lower prescription drug costs

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — One hundred physicians signed a letter Monday urging the Virginia General Assembly to get behind a bill they say will save patients money on prescription drugs and give them better health outcomes.

Two bills making their way through the legislature (HB 570, SB 274) would establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. That board would be able to set price limits in some cases.

“We are speaking out because we are tired of seeing patients suffer,” said Dr. Rommaan Ahmad, who leads the Virginia chapter of the Committee To Protect Health Care. “Virginians deserve better than to roll the dice with their health care just because of high costs.”

Dr. Greg Gelburd, a recently retired family physician from Charlottesville, told reporters how those high prices nearly cost some patients their lives.

“She came into the emergency room with a sugar of over 600 and stroke-like symptoms,” he said. “She confessed to me in the ER that she had chosen between food, rent and insulin and had dropped the insulin.”

Dr. Rochelle Klinger, a psychiatrist from Richmond, shared a story about a man she treats for a mental health disorder.

“Finally, in his mid 40s, he was stabilized on a long-acting form of medication and got a great job with a company that offered health insurance,” she said.

However, his new co-pay was unaffordable at $875 a month, and he quit the medication.

“Resulting in a relapse, hospitalization, the loss of his job, going back on disability and loss of relationship with his wife,” Klinger said.

A prescription drug survey released by the Wason Center in Newport News last July showed three-quarters of voters support legislation to create a prescription drug advisory board.

Pharmaceutical and biotech industries are often opposed to such boards.

Another survey prepared for the trade group PhRMA reported that three in five adults reject the idea of government setting medicine prices once they learn about the tradeoffs.

Often, that’s described as the incentive for innovation that creates new cures in the future.

A similar bill died in the General Assembly last year. Gov. Glenn Youngkin strongly opposed it. Supporters are hoping they will have more luck this year with the new legislature in place.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.