BIO Applauds Introduction of Bipartisan Bill to Eliminate the Pill Penalty

Legislation will help spur the development of lifesaving treatments and cures

WASHINGTON D.C. (February 25, 2025) – John Crowley, president and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), released the following statement after Representatives Gregory Murphy (R-NC), Don Davis (D-NC) and Richard Hudson (R-NC) introduced the “Ensuring Pathways to Innovative Cures (EPIC) Act,” bipartisan legislation that would eliminate the pill penalty in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act:

“For decades small molecule medicines for that come in a pill or tablet have been recognized for improving patient adherence, being easier to take, and more broadly accessible to those who need them. As a result, hundreds of such therapies have been developed for the treatment of devastating diseases ranging from cancer to mental illness.  Today, instead of building on years of biomedical progress, some innovator companies and investors are now being forced to pull away. The Inflation Reduction Act targets small molecules for government price setting years earlier than other medicines, sending the wrong message to everyone trying to develop new breakthrough treatments in a pill or tablet formulation. Instead of arbitrary and unnecessary market distortions guiding drug development decisions – we should be following the science and prioritizing getting important new medicines to patients.

“On behalf of America’s patients and biotech innovators. I’d like to thank Representatives Gregory Murphy (R-NC), Don Davis (D-NC) and Richard Hudson (R-NC) for their leadership on this important issue. This bipartisan legislation will eliminate the pill penalty and help ensure science and researchers – not government bureaucrats – determine the possible treatments innovator companies pursue. I hope Congress will act quickly on this legislation and protect the development of future treatments and cures that patients are counting on.”