March 5, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) – The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) released the following statement in response to the introduction of the Ensuring Pathways to Innovative Cures (EPIC) Act in the Senate (S.832). With bicameral legislation now introduced, the EPIC Act has the potential to address a major flaw in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that undermines access to affordable and innovative treatments particularly important to people living with heart disease, cancers and a host of other chronic conditions.
 
"Specifically, under the IRA, small molecule medicines are eligible for government pricing just 9 years after their first FDA approval, while biologics have a 13-year exemption period. This creates a significant disincentive for ongoing research on FDA-approved small molecule medicines and the development of new ones. By setting a four-year shorter pricing timeline for these medicines compared to biologics, the IRA threatens access to vital treatments for older adults, rural communities, and individuals with disabilities, who often face additional barriers to in-office care.
 
"The EPIC Act is a straightforward solution to ensure that patients can continue to benefit from the full range of treatments they need to live healthier, more independent lives. The EPIC Act would safeguard continued access to innovative therapies for the millions of Americans living with chronic conditions by equalizing the Medicare pricing timeline for both small molecule medications and biologics at 13 years post-approval. The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, along with many others in the chronic disease community, supports this important policy to ensure that both small molecule and biologic medicines remain accessible to patients who rely on them.
 
"PFCD thanks Senators Tillis, Budd, Blackburn, Lankford, and Daines for leading the introduction of this bill and encourages members of Congress to co-sponsor and swiftly advance this bipartisan, bicameral legislation.”