Tester Continues Push to Lower Cost of Prescription Drugs

Senator’s Legislation Will Pave the Way for Development of Affordable Generics

(U.S. Senate) – U.S. Senator Jon Tester is continuing his push to lower prescription drug prices and hold big pharmaceutical companies accountable by reintroducing his bipartisan Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act.

“Everywhere I go in Montana, I hear the same thing: prescription drug costs are too high,” Tester said. “And we’ve got the power to do something about it with a bill that’s got support on both sides of the aisle to make life-saving prescriptions more affordable by giving Montanans easier access to affordable generics.”

Tester sponsored the CREATES Act following a statewide health care listening tour where he met with nurses, doctors and patients to hear directly about the state’s most pressing health care needs. The legislation, which will increase market competition and lower prescription drug prices, passed the Senate Judiciary Committee last year but did not come up for a full U.S. Senate vote.

Big pharmaceutical companies block the development of generic versions of their brand name drugs so they can raise prices without competition. Tester’s CREATES Act would cut red tape so cheaper alternatives can be developed and approved faster.

Tester also recently led a bipartisan group of Senators in asking Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to stop pharmaceutical middlemen from artificially inflating costs to seniors and the community pharmacies that serve them.

Tester has a proven record of fighting to lower prescription drug costs. He has introduced legislation to increase transparency while holding big pharmaceutical companies and the Administration accountable.

More information on Tester’s efforts to lower prescription drug prices is available HERE.