SOS Certifies Cure Petitions for Drug Price Relief Act

Ohio Secretary of State, Jon Husted, certified more than 12,000 valid signatures this week from the cure petitions related to the Ohio Drug Price Relief Act.  The Secretary also filed a notice with the Ohio Supreme Court that the initiative has been submitted to the Ohio General Assembly for a four-month review period, which ends on/about January 6, 2017.  The petitioning committee would then be free to collect supplemental signatures in the 90 days following the end of that review period.  Meanwhile, litigation continues in the Supreme Court which may or may not alter the process.

Jenny Camper, of Lesic & Camper, commented on behalf of the Ohio Chamber, OMA and PhRMA:  “The proposed initiated statute would trigger massive changes to existing drug purchasing processes of the state and designated state-related programs, including Medicaid, that negotiate and purchase prescription medications on behalf of Ohio residents.  Some statewide organizations and healthcare experts are concerned that the proposal, if enacted, is unworkable and will force a lengthy and complex litigation and bureaucratic quagmire.”  9/7/2016