Welcome to the Week in Review.
- A Step In The Right Direction
- The House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill, S. 415, that would help generic drugs come to market and promote competition in the pharmaceutical industry. The Senate passed the bill in March, and it now heads to President Biden’s desk for his signature. While it’s a small win for patients, it is a clear indicator that Congress is taking drug pricing seriously — now it’s time for them to go further to reform the broken drug pricing system. — (Bloomberg Government)
2. Win-Win
- Washington is buzzing with activity around drug pricing legislation that could potentially be included in President Biden’s upcoming American Families Plan. Legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate directly with drug companies would both save hundreds of billions of dollars for taxpayers and bring relief to patients by restoring balance to our drug pricing system and curbing pharma’s unilateral pricing power. It’s a win-win. — (Axios, Bloomberg Government, The Washington Post)
3. Maine Tackles Medication Prices
- This week, patient advocates Lori Dumont, Miriam Wolfe, and Sabrina Burbeck provided testimony to the Maine state legislature in support of a package of bills that would take on drug companies and lower prices. “It has been almost 100 years since insulin was discovered, and there is still no affordable option for people like my brother,” Lori said. “I don’t know how I’m going to pay these bills, but I have no other choice. While I figure things out, I am going without these medications,” Miriam shared. — (Maine Beacon)
4. Oregon For The People
- In an op-ed, state Rep. Rachel Prusak and state Sen. Deb Patterson call on the Oregon legislature to pass a bill that would establish a prescription drug affordability board with the ability to set payment limits on excessively priced drugs. Their piece uplifts the story of Oregonian Mike Nielsen and his wife, Jacki, who have suffered from high drug prices for far too long. “It’s time to support our most vulnerable Oregonians, break free of pharmaceutical fear mongering, and fix the system for people,” they write.— (The Oregonian)
5. The High Price Of Cancer
- Skyrocketing prices for cancer drugs are forcing patients to choose between filling prescriptions and paying for daily necessities, according to the Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing. Prices for 54 cancer drugs increased by 40 percent between 2010 and 2018, resulting in an average price of more than $160,000 per year. Drug companies are literally putting a price on our lives. Patients deserve better. — (Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing)