News & Advocacy

State & Federal Election Update: “Fair” Drug Pricing Ballot Initiative Fails in California, Ohio Next to Decide

posted: November 10, 2016

Ohioans may remember the Ohio Drug Price Relief Act that the Ohio Supreme Court ruled invalid due to questionable signatures gathered by the Aids Healthcare Foundation back in August. That same group also led an initiative in California that successfully made it onto the November 2016 ballot.

However, the initiative, California’s Proposition 61, was defeated 54 percent to 46 percent. The Act was designed to enable the state and state agencies to pay the same prices for prescription drugs as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VA negotiates drug prices with companies and typically pays 20 to 25 percent less than other agencies for prescription drugs.

Ohioans can expect to get their chance to vote on the issue as Ohio’s Secretary of State Jon Husted has verified a second-round of signatures and has ordered the initiative to appear on the next general election ballot in 2017.