Maryland was the first state to pass legislation taking on prescription price gouging, but the law is being challenged in federal court.
Under the current law, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh can take manufactures that arbitrarily raise prices on established drugs to court, but the pharmaceutical companies are appealing the law in federal court.
“In recent years, the price of generic drugs have started to sky rocket,“ Frosh said. “It is hard to understand why.”
The Spaldings, who live in a Prince George’s County, Maryland, retirement community, have a monthly budget for prescriptions they need and said they are lucky to have good insurance that covers the medicine. However, they have friends who aren’t so fortunate, and they are worried about them.
“Some of them are making choices between paying rent and getting drugs,” said Hannah Spalding.
For Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker, the issue is very personal.
“A lot of you know that my wife was diagnosed with early onset dementia,” Baker said. “A drug that cost me, full price, $100 when we started out was $300. That's how much it had gone up.”
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Frosh is asking the public to help save the law by sharing their gouging stories on a state blog.
