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Pharmaceutical companies on Friday sued to block a new California law that would require them to give advance notice before big price increases. The law was approved this year in response to consumer outrage over a rise in drug spending and high costs for some prescription treatments, including new Hepatitis C medications and EpiPens to control allergic reactions. (Cooper, 12/8)

If successful, the lawsuit by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America could either delay or derail implementation of what supporters predicted would be a major improvement in the transparency of drug pricing. The industry effort argues the state law is unconstitutional. “The law creates bureaucracy, thwarts private market competition, and ignores the role of insurers, pharmacy benefit managers and hospitals in what patients pay for their medicines,” said James Stansel, the trade group’s executive vice president, in a written statement. (Myers, 12/8)

The U.S. drug industry’s main lobbying group said it filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a California law meant to make drug prices more transparent. The state law “attempts to dictate national health-care policy related to drug prices in violation of the United States Constitution,” the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America said in a statement Friday. The California measure, signed in October by Governor Jerry Brown, is among the most aggressive efforts by states to peel back the secretive process of setting drug prices. (Chen, 12/8)

In a widely anticipated move, a pharmaceutical industry trade group has filed a lawsuit seeking to stifle a new California law that requires drug makers to explain and justify price hikes. The law has been hailed by supporters as a key attempt to provide transparency into opaque pricing practices amid growing public outrage over the cost of medicines. Not only is the law one of the more comprehensive efforts to address the issue, but California is seen as a bellwether for the rest of the nation and drug makers fear other states will attempt to adopt similar measures. (Silverman, 12/9)

Two months after Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law what many consider to be the nation’s most comprehensive legislation on transparency in prescription drug prices, the phamaceutical industry on Friday fired back with a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality. ...The 36-page complaint filed in California U.S. District Court in Sacramento, also says SB 17 — which is scheduled to take effect next month — singles out drug manufacturers as the sole determinant of drug costs, ignores the role other entities play in the costs patients pay for prescription drugs, and will lead to drug stockpiling and reduced competition. (Seipel, 12/8)