Historic Battle for Lower Rx Prices Comes Up Short in Wake of $130M Pharma Onslaught

SACRAMENTO, CA – Yes on Prop 61/Californians for Lower Drug Prices today thanked their key supporters and California voters for their valiant efforts to bring the battle for lower drug prices to Big Pharma’s doorstep. Big Pharma’s $130 million blitz of deceptive ads seems to have had its intended effect of convincing California voters into voting against their own self-interests.

Yes on 61, despite being outspent 8-1, did succeed in creating a national conversation surrounding exorbitant drug prices, rallied strong grassroots efforts, and received more than 800 endorsements. Up until Big Pharma’s $130 million advertising push, most of it in the last two months of the campaign, polls showed voters supported Yes on 61 by large margins. The bombardment of the opposition’s advertisements and deep pockets unfortunately resulted in defeat.

“This was a tremendous uphill battle from the very start. The drug companies have managed to kill every other attempt to reign in drug prices, and last night they were able to defeat Prop. 61 by accumulating the largest war-chest ever seen against a ballot side in California’s history,” said Garry South lead strategists for Yes on 61. “Yes on Prop 61/Californians for Lower Drug Prices now challenges legislators to come up with a more comprehensive solution to lower skyrocketing drug prices.”

“We thank our key supporters who had the courage to stand up to Big Pharma,” South added. “Sen. Bernie Sanders, the California Nurses Association, AARP, Consumer Watchdog, Social Security Works, and Sen. Sanders’ Our Revolution joined the sponsoring AIDS Healthcare Foundation in this fight and we are grateful for their hard work and strong support.”

Proposition 61 would have required the state of California to negotiate with drug companies for drug prices that are no more than is paid for the same drugs by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA). Unlike Medicare, the DVA negotiates for drug prices on behalf of the millions veterans it serves, and pays on average 20-24 percent less for medications than other government agencies, and up to 40 percent less than Medicare Part D.  Prop. 61 would have empowered the state, as the healthcare buyer for millions of Californians, to negotiate the same or an even better deal for taxpayers, saving the state billions.

Prominent organizations and leaders, including AARP California, California Nurses Association, California Physicians Alliance, Consumer Watchdog, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and his new organization Our Revolution, California State Retirees,the Rev. Al Sharpton, the Urban League, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the Campaign for a Healthy California, former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, civil rights and labor activist Dolores Huerta, Progressive Democrats of America, Social Security Works and VoteVets Action Fund supported Prop. 61. A full list of endorsements can be seen at http://www.Yeson61.com/endorsements/

www.Yeson61.com
Paid for by Yes on Prop 61, Californians for Lower Drug Prices, With Major Funding by AIDS Healthcare Foundation and California Nurses Association PAC. FPPC ID#1376791