If Bennifer can be revived, drug prices can be lowered.
Welcome to the Week in Review.
- “The Time To Act Is Now”
- Rep. Peter Welch and P4AD founder David Mitchell penned an op-ed for The Hill that calls on Congress to pass H.R. 3, a bill that would finally let Medicare negotiate for lower drug prices. “Now is the time for Congress to pass legislation that will deliver meaningful relief from high drug prices to the American people,” they write. We can’t keep upholding a system that allows patients to die because they can’t afford the drugs they need. Congress must stand with patients and support H.R. 3. — (The Hill)
2. Maine Fights Pharma Greed Statewide And Nationally
- This week, Rep. Jared Golden (ME-02) authored an op-ed in the Bangor Daily News, warning Congress not to fall for Big Pharma’s lies as legislators look to make drugs affordable with bills like H.R. 3. “Big pharmaceutical companies’ greed stands in the way of progress to lower prescription drug prices,” Rep. Golden writes. Earlier in the week, the BDN editorial board praised Maine lawmakers for prioritizing lowering prescription drug prices this session. State legislators are currently considering a sweeping package of bills that would reduce prices for Maine patients. The message in Maine is clear — patients need relief. — (Bangor Daily News Opinion, Bangor Daily News Editorial Board)
3. WV Senators: Patients Need You
- In a letter to the editor, West Virginia patient Ashley Suder calls on Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito to support H.R. 3. Ashley lives with lupus and depends on Benlysta, which costs over $35,000 — and figuring out how to afford the drug is a constant battle. Patients, already burdened with the physical and mental toll of living with an illness, shouldn’t also have to fight for affordable medications. For patients like Ashley, we must do better. — (The Charleston Gazette-Mail)
4. A Case Study: Cancer Drugs
- Cancer drugs are incredibly expensive, creating an astronomical financial burden on taxpayers. Because many of these drugs lack direct competitors, pharma companies essentially have free rein to dictate prices. Meanwhile, Big Pharma wants cancer patients and families to think high prices are the only way to ensure that new treatments keep coming to market. It’s simply not true. We don’t have to choose between affordable medications and new treatments. — (Fortune)
5. Cracking The Innovation Myth
- Big Pharma, desperate to keep its unfettered pricing power, insists that Medicare negotiation bills like H.R. 3 would stifle innovation and prevent patient access to critical new drugs. The truth is, H.R. 3 would allow patients to get the important innovation they need at prices they can afford, and pharma would still remain one of the most profitable industries. Don’t fall for pharma’s bald-faced lie. — (Fast Company)