This past week, the CBSA team represented our community and shared our expertise on prescription drug affordability at the BIO International Convention and through a series of virtual events: 

• Elyse Blazevich, CBSA President and CEO, and Amy Goodman, CBSA Vice President and Counsel for Policy + Advocacy, were proud to champion Colorado’s life sciences community at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) International Convention in San Diego. 
• Amy Goodman participated in an expert roundtable on “The Risks of PDABs and Importance of Innovation for Healthy Aging and Health Equity” organized by the Global Coalition on Aging’s Alliance for Health Innovation. 
• Amy Goodman was a panelist in a webinar on “Understanding the State Prescription Drug Affordability Board Landscape in 2024” hosted by MichBio and the Michigan Bioscience Legislative Caucus. 
• The Colorado PDAB reviewed the draft Affordability Review Report for Stelara and determined that it “is unaffordable for Colorado consumers.” 

BIO International Convention: Elyse Blazevich and Amy Goodman were proud to champion Colorado’s life sciences community this past week at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) International Convention in San Diego. The CBSA team supported members of our life sciences ecosystem; connected with companies, investors, and talent considering Colorado; and attended a variety of informative and impactful sessions, including sessions on the policy landscape the life sciences ecosystem faces in 2024.

Global Coalition on Aging PDAB Expert Roundtable: CBSA’s Amy Goodman participated in an expert roundtable on “The Risks of PDABs and Importance of Innovation for Healthy Aging and Health Equity” organized by the Global Coalition on Aging’s Alliance for Health Innovation. This roundtable brought together cross-sectoral experts that represent patients, providers, caregivers, academia, biopharmaceutical innovators, and business communities to discuss the risks of Prescription Drug Affordability Boards (PDABs), upper payment limits (UPLs), and the risk they pose to the innovation that’s needed to safeguard healthy aging and improve health equity.  

MichBio PDAB Webinar: CBSA’s Amy Goodman was a panelist in a webinar on “Understanding the State Prescription Drug Affordability Board Landscape in 2024” hosted by MichBio and the Michigan Bioscience Legislative Caucus. Stephen Rapundalo, PhD, President and CEO of MichBio, moderated a discussion with Amy Goodman; Patrick Plues, Vice President of State Government Affairs with BIO; Tiffany Westrich-Robertson, CEO of AiArthirtis; Jen Laws, President and CEO of Community Access National Network (CANN), and Laura Bonnell, President of The Bonnell Foundation. The panel examined the current PDAB landscape, the status of legislation, and what adoption of such boards may mean for patient access and innovation of new treatments. 

CO PDAB Deems Stelara “Unaffordable”: On June 7, the Colorado PDAB reviewed the draft Affordability Review Report for Stelara, used to treat plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis, and determined that it “is unaffordable for Colorado consumers.” On June 14, the PDAB will review the draft Affordability Review Report for Cosentyx, the final drug in the first group of five drugs selected for an Affordability Review, and make a determination about its affordability. On July 3, the PDAB plans to approve the final Affordability Review Reports for both Stelara and Cosentyx and vote on whether to move forward with upper payment limit (UPL) rulemaking. Recent, notable PDAB-related media coverage includes: 

• Bloomberg Law, 6/10/24: State Drug Pricing Boards Forge Ahead With Eyes on Amgen Suit 
• Summit Daily, 6/9/24: Letter to the editor: I worry about the government setting prescription prices 
• Health Affairs, 6/5/24: Unanswered Questions And Unintended Consequences Of State Prescription Drug Affordability Boards 
• Daily Camera, , 6/5/24: Guest Opinion: Hannah Pfeiffer and Candace DeMatteis: Prescription Drug Affordability Board Might Not Deliver Savings To Patients (subscription required) 
• Bloomberg Law, 5/24/24: Colorado Drug Pricing Board Hits Back At Amgen Legal Challenge (subscription required)