NEW YORK—In a letter today to optometrists, Bausch + Lomb reiterated its commitment to its Unilateral Pricing Policy (UPP) for contact lenses, saying it was one that “supports patients and providers.”

The letter followed one last Friday from CooperVision to practitioners, also stating the company’s continued support for UPP.

Today, in response to a query from VMail, an Alcon spokesperson also reaffirmed that its UPP policy remained unchanged.

The three contact lens companies’ reaffirmation of UPP, which sets minimum prices for eye doctors who dispense contact lenses, come in the midst of an increasing controversy over contact lens pricing policies and access to contact lens sales and follows the move last week of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care to discontinue its UPP, as VMail reported as well as the American Optometric Association’s (AOA) moves to advocate for and “educate lawmakers on the importance of the proposed Contact Lens Consumer Health Projection Act of 2016,” which seeks to crack down on internet sales tactics. This week, the AOA’s Congressional Advocacy Conference convened AOA-member doctors, leaders and students in Washington, D.C. to voice the profession’s priority issues and concerns to nation's lawmakers.

The letters from the three contact lens companies also comes on the heels of the formation of a new Coalition for Contact Lens Consumer Choice, reported earlier today by VMail. The Coalition’s current members consist of 1-800 Contacts, Costco Wholesale and Lens.com. In its initial statement released yesterday, the group said it will oppose the legislation that would “severely restrict where consumers can purchase their contact lenses.”

Bausch + Lomb’s April 20 letter from Mark McKenna, senior vice president and general manager, U.S. vision care, noted, in part, “We are committed to our Unilateral Pricing Policy (UPP), which is intended to encourage eyecare professionals to invest the time to learn about the company’s UPP products and educate consumers, to support the UPP products as innovative offerings, and to enable Bausch + Lomb to continue to provide excellent customer service related to those UPP products.

“We continue to oppose any federal legislation that diminishes the pro-competitive intentions of the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumer Act (FCLCA) through our participation in the Coalition for Patient Vision Care Safety. In the past year alone, we hope you have seen our commitment to excellence in vision care come to life through our B+Lieve educational event series, as well as our charitable contributions to eyecare organizations that share our mission of offering training and educational resources to ECPs, designed to improve eye health for all of our patients,” McKenna’s letter said.

In the April 15 letter to practitioners, Jerry Warner, CooperVision president North America, stated, “With the recent announcement by another manufacturer regarding the discontinuation of its Unilateral Pricing Policy, I wanted to take a moment to reaffirm CooperVision’s commitment to our customers and your patients.

"CooperVision has not made any changes to our policies. The company will continue to evaluate pricing and other programs to ensure that we offer high quality, competitive products for eyecare providers and patients. CooperVision ensures competitive pricing through a broad array of programs that encompass proven customer discount and loyalty opportunities and patient rebates. It’s important to note that pricing is only one dimension of CooperVision’s longstanding partnership with contact lens-prescribing professionals—a holistic approach that has shaped our business over several decades.

Warner’s letter also stated, “CooperVision has also invested and will continue to invest in challenging policies that seek to erode the doctor-patient relationship. Our leaders, consultants and lobbyists have been directly engaged in legislative activity in Washington, D.C. and multiple states, encouraging legislators to oppose bills that threaten patient safety and attempt to devalue the role of eyecare professionals. In parallel, Dr. Michele Andrews, our senior director of professional & academic affairs for North America, provided considerable and valued input to the Federal Trade Commission in its 10-year review of the Contact Lens Rule, aiding Congressional and Commission understanding of our industry and the impact that policies would have on patients. A good deal of this work has been performed through our participation in the Coalition for Patient Vision Care Safety.”