Congressmen Don Davis & August Pfluger Introduce Legislation to Improve Access to Lifesaving Medications

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Congressmen Don Davis (NC-01) and August Pfluger (TX-11) introduced the bipartisan Old Drugs, New Cures Act, legislation to improve access to innovative, affordable medication and tackle health disparities in rural and low-income communities across America.

"Eastern North Carolina communities face the greatest health care disparities of any region in the state,” said Congressman Davis. “To ensure every patient, no matter their income, no matter where they live, has access to the best treatments possible, we must pass legislation to encourage the development of new, affordable drugs. Without an incentive for innovation, patients will not have access to affordable, quality health care."

Current Medicaid regulations inhibit the research of certain conditions that disproportionately affect rural and low-income communities, like Sickle Cell Disease or other chronic illnesses. The Old Drugs, New Cures Act would carve out an exemption for “priority research” drugs in existing law, allowing for a smoother path from drug development to patient access. To ensure equal access to lifesaving cures, a drug designated as a “priority research drug,” would be excluded from the definition of a “line extension,” therefore making it more accessible to all patients and encouraging innovation at the same time.

“The federal government should never hinder innovation and deny patients access to potentially life-saving treatments,” said Congressman August Pfluger.  “Yet, current regulations enforced by HHS stifle research and development of new uses for existing drugs and impede the potential for groundbreaking medications to reach patients in need. I am proud to introduce the Old Drugs, New Cures Act alongside Congressman Don Davis to break down barriers and ensure that breakthrough treatments have a clear path to market.”

“As a global diversified pharmaceutical company enriching lives through a relentless drive to deliver better health outcomes, new legislation allowing manufacturers the ability to study and bring forward new treatments based on existing FDA-approved products just makes sense for patients”said Jeff Hartness, Executive Vice President, Market Access, Commercial Operations, Neurology, Generics and Government Affairs. “We believe the introduction of the Old Drugs New Cures Act legislation has the potential to positively impact patient lives in a way that otherwise will not be feasible.”

“Here at Bausch Health, we are focused on our core R&D platforms, but we are also continuously looking across our existing portfolio to identify underserved, unmet diseases and therapeutic areas,” said Dr. Tage Ramakrishna, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, President, R&D at Bausch Health. As knowledge of disease states and pharmaceutical products increase, manufacturers like Bausch Health need the ability to study all molecules, new and old, for future medical breakthroughs.”

“Reformulating existing drugs is an opportunity for innovation to address unmet needs in an efficient and timely manner,” said Donna R. Cryer, JD, founder and CEO of Global Liver Institute. “New uses for existing drugs have long been supported by the rare disease community, for whom treatment options are highly limited. This bill presents an opportunity to advance health equity by driving innovation to Medicaid-eligible patients who experience high unmet medical needs.”