The recent op-ed by the Rev. Alvin C. Hathaway Sr. does not recognize the important work of the Maryland Prescription Drug Affordability Board (“Maryland’s drug affordability board has been a failure,” Oct. 22).
Here is the reality. The board is likely to act soon, possibly in the next few weeks, to set upper payment limits on how much state and local governments pay for two widely used drugs for their employees, Jardiance and Farxiga. This will be a major milestone that will save significant taxpayer money and allow government to spend more to meet other public needs.
The op-ed twists logic to suggest the board has failed because of the time it has taken to reach this moment. In 2020, former Governor Larry Hogan vetoed a critical bill to fund the work of the board. The General Assembly overrode this veto the next year, but Hogan’s action slowed the work of the board significantly. Hogan also slow-walked critical appointments, which slowed board action.
Fortunately, our current governor, Wes Moore, strongly supports the board’s work to address soaring drug costs. Thanks to the General Assembly and Gov. Moore, the board’s authority has been expanded, and it will begin next year working on setting upper payment limits on drugs for all Marylanders.
Maryland was a leader in setting up a board to address drug costs. Three other states have followed our lead, and the Colorado board recently set an upper payment limit for a high-cost, widely used autoimmune deficiency drug named Enbrel. According to state health advocates, this will save Coloradans over $32 million a year – a significant savings for consumers and families struggling to pay for their medications.
We will soon take similar action in Maryland and make real progress in our fight to bring down the costs of prescription drugs. In addition, the Maryland PDAB is taking a close look at other tools to make high-cost drugs more affordable, such as better regulation of pharmacy benefit managers as Hathaway suggests. We encourage the Maryland PDAB to continue its landmark and lifesaving work to make high-cost drugs more affordable for all Marylanders because drugs don’t work if people can’t afford them.
— Vincent DeMarco, Baltimore
The letter writer is president of the Maryland Health Care for All Coalition.
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