California Life Sciences Association Disappointed By Assembly Health Committee’s Action To Advance SB 1010

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--California Life Sciences Association (CLSA), the statewide public policy organization representing over 750 of California’s leading life sciences innovators, today issued the following statement regarding Senate Bill (SB) 1010, which passed by the California Assembly Health Committee yesterday. SB 1010 prioritizes paperwork, red tape and bureaucracy over research, and instead of improving patient access and affordability, places patients in California at risk. This statement can be attributed to Sara Radcliffe, President & CEO, California Life Sciences Association (CLSA).

“As innovators in the life sciences sector dedicated to the development of treatments and cures for patients across multiple disease states and levels, we are disappointed by the action of the California Assembly Health Committee to approve SB 1010. While rising healthcare costs are a concern for many Californians, SB 1010 could actually make issues of affordability worse for the most vulnerable Californians.

“Quite simply, SB 1010 does not put the interests of patients first. In addition to creating new layers of bureaucracy between doctors and their patients, SB 1010 puts patient access to medicine at risk by promoting the hoarding of needed medicines by large purchasers and encouraging the growth of a medication ‘gray market’ where secondary distributors sell to the highest bidder. This will increasingly lead to shortages and disruptions in treatments for patients in dire need of essential medicines, and any pharmacies, hospitals and patients who must go to a secondary distributor for a scarce medicine will no doubt see huge price mark-ups. SB 1010 will most severely impact rural and low-income communities and parts of the state.

“On behalf of California’s life sciences innovators, a sector with approximately 3,000 life sciences companies employing nearly 300,000 people all across the state, we are disappointed in the committee’s action yesterday. We remain confident that once all the facts are known about the bill, lawmakers will agree SB 1010 is the wrong prescription for California.”

View letters of concern and additional information on the pitfalls of SB 1010 at: www.protectaccessandinnovation.org

About California Life Sciences Association (CLSA)

California Life Sciences Association (CLSA) is the leading voice driving innovation for California’s life sciences sector. CLSA works closely with industry, government, academia and other stakeholders to shape public policy, drive business solutions and grow California’s life sciences innovation ecosystem. CLSA serves over 750 biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, and diagnostics companies, research universities and institutes, investors and service providers. CLSA was founded in 2015 when the Bay Area Bioscience Association (BayBio) and the California Healthcare Institute (CHI) merged to create the state’s most influential life sciences advocacy and business leadership organization. Visit CLSA at www.califesciences.org, and follow us on Twitter @CALifeSciences, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.