PCMA Vows Continued Support for Real Biogenerics Reform Despite Committee Vote

Launches New Radio Ad: America Wants the Change It Voted for

WASHINGTON--(Business Wire)--
In response to last night`s U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
(HELP) Committee vote to allow biologic drugs 12 years of market protection
before generic versions can compete, the Pharmaceutical Care Management
Association (PCMA) launched a new radio ad campaign which says that "America
wants the change it voted for" in health reform.

PCMA President and CEO Mark Merritt issued the following statement:

"Despite this setback, the biogenerics debate marches on and is a bellwether for
Washington`s capacity for real health reform. Either Congress will side with the
voters who expect real change - the seniors, consumers, employers and unions who
support meaningful biogenerics reform - or it will let health costs continue to
soar as a courtesy to special interests.

"Because this proposal would grant manufacturers almost twice the monopoly
pricing power that the President requested and ignores the Federal Trade
Commission report which found that not even one year is necessary to protect
incentives to innovate, it is hard to conceive that it will be part of any final
`reform` legislation in its current state."

PCMA represents the nation`s pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which improve
affordability and quality of care through the use of electronic prescribing
(e-prescribing), generic alternatives, mail-service pharmacies, and other
innovative tools for 200-plus million Americans.

*Other PCMA biogenerics ads available at www.pcmanet.org

Radio ad available at www.pcmanet.org

PCMA
Charles Coté, 202-207-3605

Copyright Business Wire 2009