Ohio court reinstates drug pricing initiative

The Ohio Supreme Court ordered state election officials to submit a drug pricing ballot initiative to voters in November 2017. The court ruling forces Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted to rescind an order sending the Ohio Drug Price Relief Act to the General Assembly, a step that would have kept it off the ballot.

The initiative seeks to prevent the state from paying more for prescription drugs than the lowest price paid for the same drug by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA pays about 20% less for drugs than other government programs. PhRMA opposes the initiative, which is backed by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. ...