A coalition linked to Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America has raised nearly $16 million to defeat an upcoming Ohio ballot measure seeking to reduce prescription drug costs in the state, Tthe Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reported Monday.

Ohioans Against the Deceptive Rx Ballot Issue, a subsidiary of PhRMA, has raised $15.8 million and spent $9.7 million in its quest to defeat State Measure 2, which will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot. The proposed law would require state agencies to pay no more for prescription drugs than the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which is able to negotiate drug prices.

The ballot measure is modeled after similar to a proposal that was defeated by California voters in 2016. That effort resulted in one of the most expensive ballot measure campaigns in California history, with opponents and proponents raising more than $128 million, according to the website Ballotpedia.org.

Opponents of the California measure—which included the pharmaceutical industry—outspent proponents six to one. Backers of Ohio's State Measure Issue 2 have spent $3.6 million so far, the Dispatch reported. http://bit.ly/2w2iepS

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