Panelists clash over state question dealing with drug prices

SANDUSKY — Drug companies are terrified voters will approve a state question to limit the costs of prescription drugs, according to supporters of Issue 2.Passage, they said, would launch a series of similar efforts to finally end price gouging by pharmaceutical companies.These advocates stressed this message to a crowd of about 300 people Tuesday at the Sandusky Community Church of the Nazarene.But that's simply nonsense, opponents insisted: The pharmacy industry, dozens of organizations which oppose the state question, and state newspapers that have lined up against it realize it simply won't work, they said.The forum, organized by Serving Our Seniors with help from the Register, drew a room filled with people who seem to play close attention. They filled the parking lot and church sanctuary, where the event took place. The program is available for on-demand viewing on the Register's website and Facebook page. Issue 2 has two main provisions:• It says that when the state pays for prescription drugs, it won't pay a price higher than what's paid by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which by law receives discounts from drug companies.• It also says that if proponents of the state question aren't happy with the way it's being carried out, taxpayers will pay the cost of litigation to enforce the new law.A very similar proposal, heavily opposed by drug companies, lost in California last year.Watch the full Issue 2 forum below:[toutembed=xukfxv]Having trouble with the video above? Here's another way to watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMGPPrdq1AIDavid Little, one of two panelists speaking for the "Yes" side, read a statement from a pharmacy executive about the California proposal. The executive warned that if the question passed, pharmacy companies would have to discount their prices heavily, and there would be demands to extend the discount to other programs.The drug companies spend $122 million to defeat the state question in California and are spending $80 million in Ohio, outspending the yes side by an 8-to-1 ratio, Little said.Americans pay four or five times what Canadians pay, and the industry has 2,000 lobbyists in Washington to keep prices high, Little said."This is why they are terrified that this will win in Ohio," he said. If limits on drug prices pass in Ohio, price controls will spread "like a prairie wildfire."Jenny Camper, a spokeswoman for the "Vote No" campaign, pointed out that dozens of organizations have come out against the state question, including medical organizations, pharmacists, veterans groups and every newspaper which has weighed in with an editorial — seven papers so far.That isn't because they've all been bought off, Camper said. It's because they've looked at the provisions of the state question and they agree it isn't workable.The discounts provided to the VA aren't a matter of public record, so carrying out the law would be difficult. The state currently already negotiates discounts for its purchase of drugs for Medicaid and other programs, she said, discounts that would be threatened by passage of the state question.Moreover, the provision allowing the "Vote Yes" backers to file lawsuits, with taxpayers picking up the tab, is a real threat to state taxpayers, she said."This is a blank check to the proponents," she said.Dr. Ken Frisof, a retired family doctor from Cleveland who joined Little in speaking for the state question, said too much is made of the provision requiring taxpayers to pay for lawsuits."When you look at the dollars, this is a matter of mountains and molehills," he said. The potential cost of litigation is dwarfed by the huge profits drug companies are trying to protect, he argued.Ernie Boyd, executive director of the Ohio Pharmacists Association, joined Camper in speaking against the issue.Boyd said that price controls can have unforeseen consequences.He said there's a list of 200 drugs that hospital already can't obtain because of pricing issues. Patients will not benefit if that number goes up to 300, he said.Although each side was allowed to make short speeches, the panelists mostly answered questions posed by members of the audience, who were handed microphones wielded by the moderators, Serving Our Seniors executive director Sue Daugherty and Register managing editor Matt Westerhold.The audience appeared to be mostly elderly. Daugherty said she organized the forum because of intense interest in the state question by her clients, who kept asking her what Serving Our Seniors would do to help them better understand the issue.Reach reporter Tom Jackson at jackson@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @jacksontom.Community members gather for a forum on Issue 2, the controversial state question dealing with prescription drug prices, at the Church on the Nazarene in Sandusky on Tuesday. David Little advocates for Ohio's Issue 2 during a forum co-hosted Serving Our Seniors and the Register on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017 at the Church of the Nazarene in Sandusky. Four representatives for and against Issue 2 discuss the proposed legislation during a forum co-hosted Serving Our Seniors and the Register at the Church of the Nazarene in Sandusky on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017. Ernie Boyd talks about being against Issue 2 during a forum co-hosted Serving Our Seniors and the Register on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017. Community member Mark Lane asks a question during Tuesday's Issues 2 forum at Church of the Nazarene. Standing against Issue 2, Jenny Camper answers questions from the audience during Tuesday's forum at the Church of the Nazarene in Sandusky. Dr. Ken Frisof explain why he supports Issue 2 during a form co-hosted Serving Our Seniors and the Register at the Church of the Nazarene on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017.