Sen. Dean Burke: Expanding Access to Affordable Medications for Georgians

Your Georgia Desk

Expanding Access to Affordable Medications for Georgians

As a practicing physician, I have served the community of southwest Georgia for more than 25 years, dedicating my life’s work to providing patients with the best care available. Now as a State Senator, I have an expanded opportunity to help patients as well as my constituents by sponsoring SB 51, a piece of legislation that will improve patient care statewide. One of my priorities is ensuring that patients receive safe medications at a lower cost.

Medical innovation continues to advance, and more doctors are using complex drugs made from living organisms called biologic medicines, to treat their patients with chronic diseases such as arthritis and psoriasis. Humira, a biologic medication used to treat arthritis, can cost upwards of $3,000 for one refill. By allowing physicians to prescribe and pharmacists to dispense biosimilars —similar to a generic version of biologics— the cost of medication can be reduced by up to 80 percent.

The advent of biosimilars only furthers the expanded access of available medicine for doctors to prescribe to their patients. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing the first biosimilars application, and it is possible that these alternative treatment options will be on the market in the next few months.

Despite their promise—highly complex biologics are expensive, which is why I am excited that biosimilars will soon be on the market to provide more patients access to these innovative drugs. The more confident physicians are in prescribing biosimilars as separate, but equally viable treatment options to biologics, the more cost effective it will be for patients. My co-sponsor, Representative Sharon Cooper, and I have been working diligently to create a piece of legislation, SB 51, that ensures the proper framework is put in place to enable a safe uptake so physicians can prescribe medication that will be cost effective for their patients.

As a physician, I want to make sure that patients are prescribed the best treatment options based on their own medical history and conditions. For this reason, SB 51 encourages the use of biosimilars while putting communication requirements in place between physicians and pharmacists so that I can accurately evaluate and help manage my patients’ health.

I am excited as both a physician and a legislator to see the expanding value it will bring to the field of medical innovation and I am happy to say that my colleagues passed SB 51 on Wednesday. The bill will now move to the House for approval.