Schumer Vows to Protect Finch Paper & Hundreds of Jobs in Glens Falls Against Provision Legislation that would Remove Critical Information Packets from RX Drugs & Hinder Local Businesses

Press Release

Today, at Finch Paper in Glens Falls, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer joined Finch Paper representatives and employees to announce that a proposed federal bill, which would stop the printing of critical prescription drug information for health care professionals, is dead on arrival in the Senate. Schumer explained that Congress is considering a bill to eliminate the requirement for drug makers to include information about their drugs on paper, instead only requiring the information to be available online. Schumer argued that first and foremost, we should err on the side of caution when prescribing medications and the paper package insert notifies healthcare professionals and patients of the risks, side effects, and best practices for Rx drugs. Removing the paper inserts could force pharmacists, healthcare professionals and even patients to count on unreliable online access, which is susceptible to threats from natural disasters, hacking and widespread limitations to internet access. In addition, Schumer explained that this provision is a job killer for companies like Finch Paper, which employs 650 people at its Glens Falls plant. Schumer noted that Finch Paper is the largest taxpayer in Glens Falls and retaining jobs at their company is one of his top priorities to ensure economic stability in the area and to protect the valuable service they provide health care professionals and consumers.

"The piece of House legislation puts Glens Falls jobs at Finch Paper at risk, and what's more, I don't believe its savings are worth the risk of cutting out these valuable paper inserts that contain valuable information about prescription drugs. Any such provision is dead on arrival in the Senate. Finch Paper is one of the Capital Region's most important employers, and the largest taxpayer in Glens Falls, but beyond that, every good-paying New York job is worth fighting for," said Schumer. "Simply put: cutting out these paper inserts would kill jobs. And while online access is becoming more and more reliable and accessible, the dispensing of prescription drugs can be a life and death matter; for the time being we should be prudent and continue to include these paper inserts right with the Rx drugs."

Schumer was joined by Finch Paper President & CEO Deba Mukherjee and Glens Falls Mayor Jack Diamond and noted that the savings generated by eliminating paper inserts pale in comparison to the costs of adverse drug events and the job losses in industry.

"Finch Paper and our employees are fighting hard to build a more sustainable, more prosperous business, and each and every reduction in uncoated printing paper demand deals yet another difficult blow to our long-term future," said Finch Paper President & CEO Deba Mukherjee. "We are extremely grateful that Senator Schumer has stepped forward to stop this troubling provision in its tracks."

"I share Senator Schumer's view that we must do all that we can to protect the 650 jobs and tax revenue that Finch Paper provides us here in Glens Falls," said Mayor Jack Diamond. "He has always been attentive to our needs whether it be hockey, or South Street or Tech Meadows and this is yet another example of his championing the City of Glens Falls."

Standing at Finch Paper in Glens Falls, Schumer announced that Section 8 of House Resolution 1919 and the same section of Senate Bill 956, which extend the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) were unacceptable and that he would fight to strike the provision from the final bill. Currently, the FDA requires that a paper package insert (PI), which is approved by the FDA, be included when the prescriptions are handled by health care professionals. Section 8 of the House legislation would remove that requirement, only requiring that such information be posted online. Schumer explained that waiving the paper requirement posed substantial risk to prescription drug consumers and the paper industry in upstate New York, like Finch Paper which makes some of these inserts.

Schumer argued that health care professionals have come to rely on these paper inserts, and moving them online, where they are subject to outages, hacking and poor service, makes the access to important prescription drug information potentially unreliable. Furthermore, even though these inserts are only required for health care professionals, they are often requested by patients. Because these PIs are written by the drug manufacturer and approved by the FDA, they are much more reliable than the drug information printed by the pharmacy itself.

In addition, Schumer noted that the savings of moving these inserts online is nothing compared to the savings gained by avoiding adverse drug events, which account for 98,000 deaths per year and annual costs between $17 and $29 billion, many of which are avoidable. When prescribing drugs, Schumer argued that we should err on the side of caution and require that all the information be handed to the health care professionals with the dosages. Furthermore, when Congress last extended the PDUFA, they mandated a GAO study of the costs and benefits of moving to electronic only communication. The GAO study is set to be released in July 2013. Schumer noted that, before any action is taken, Congress should at least have all the information at hand.

Section 8 of the House Resolution puts the 650 jobs at the Finch Paper Glens Falls facility at risk, as well as another 150 jobs tied to the paper industry in Upstate New York. Founded in 1865, Finch Paper is located in the heart of downtown Glens Falls, New York. Finch Paper is an integrated mill, meaning they convert raw logs into pulp, and pulp into paper, all on their Glens Falls campus.

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