Ohio Drug Pricing Referendum Defeated

Ohioans voted down a ballot initiative that aimed to rein in drug prices, echoing a similar vote in California earlier this year.

The measure would have required state agencies pay no more for drugs than the Department of Veterans Affairs. About eight in 10 voters voted against the measure.

Drug companies campaigned against the initiative, telling voters it would shift extra costs to Medicare and private insurance beneficiaries. PhRMA spent nearly $60 million lobbying to defeat the measure.