BILL NUMBER: S437
SPONSOR: MYRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring a weekly
update of the prescription drug retail price list
 
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this bill is to require the Department of Health to
update the State's Prescription Drug Retail Price List weekly.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends subdivision 2 of section 278 of the Public Health Law,
as renumbered by section 1-a of part B of chapter 447 of the laws of
201.2 and as amended by section 16 of part B of chapter 58 of the laws
of 4 2007 to require the Department of Health to extract pharmacy price
information and to provide a weekly update of the prescription drug
retail price list for the one hundred and fifty most frequently
purchased drugs. It is also the responsibility of the pharmacy to
create, update, and publish this retail price list on its website. The
update schedule must comply with a weekly basis at the very least.
Section 2 provides the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Though the Department of Health is required to list retail prescription
drug prices, the current law only requires the department to extract and
share this information "as reasonably practicable". This has resulted in
an outdated Prescription Drug Retail Price List on the State's Depart-
ment of Health website. With prescription drug prices on the rise, New
York must. Provide transparency and require a weekly update of the
State's Prescription Drug Retail Price List so consumers can compare
retail prescription drug prices and avoid paying unnecessarily high
prices.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
S3418 of 2023-24: Referred to Health.
S9290 of 2021-22: Referred to Health.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.