California Introduces Bill to Prohibit Prescription Drug Coupons

A California lawmaker introduced a bill that would prohibit pharmaceutical companies from issuing certain prescription drug discounts or coupons to consumers in the state.

The bill would make it a crime to offer rebates, vouchers or any reduction in an individual’s out-of-pocket expenses for a product, including their insurance copayments and deductibles — as long as there is a cheaper alternative designated by the FDA as therapeutically interchangeable.

The proposed bill would not ban rebates required under a REMS program.