The Afro
December 19, 2017
Baltimore, MD – On Wednesday, December 20th at noon at the Episcopal Diocesan Center, 4 East University Parkway in Baltimore City, Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen will join a growing number of public health leaders and community groups from across the state in endorsing the Maryland Health Care For All! Coalition’s new proposals to make prescription drugs more affordable for Marylanders. The Baltimore City Council has unanimously endorsed the proposals.
“As an emergency physician, I have seen patients who have had to make the impossible choice between buying life-saving medications and paying for rent or food. As Baltimore City’s Health Commissioner, I see every day the impact on our people of escalating drug prices, including for naloxone which can keep overdoses from leading to death,” said Dr. Leana Wen. “I was honored to be part of the coalition that made possible Maryland’s landmark 2017 law banning price gouging by manufacturers of generic and off-patent drugs. We will now build on this progress to make sure that all expensive and critically-needed drugs are more affordable for Marylanders.”
“This year, Maryland made historic progress by enacting the nation’s first prescription drug price gouging bill which authorizes Attorney General Brian Frosh to prevent unconscionable price increases in generic and off-patent drugs,” said Vincent DeMarco, President of the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative, “We are thrilled to have Dr. Leana Wen, one of our nation’s premier public health officials, join our effort to build on this progress. We will be urging the Maryland General Assembly to: ban the gag rules which now keep consumers from getting the best price for some drugs, require drug price transparency to help us understand the reason for high priced drugs, and create a Drug Cost Commission to properly assess what Marylanders should be paying for excessively priced and often unaffordable prescription drugs.”
WHAT: Prescription Drug Affordability Initiative Endorsement by Dr. Leana Wen
WHEN: Wednesday, December 20th, Noon
WHERE: Episcopal Diocesan Center, 4 East University Parkway, Baltimore City
WHO: Dr. Leana Wen, Baltimore City Health Commissioner
Vincent DeMarco, President, Maryland Citizens’
Last modified: December 19, 2017
