Olivia, we have jealousy, jealousy, come do drug pricing next!
Welcome to the Week in Review.
- Innovation Requires Competition
- On Tuesday, P4AD founder David Mitchell testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, explaining how anticompetitive pharmaceutical industry practices keep drug prices high and hinder innovation. “If drug companies can block competition and raise prices at will on old drugs to drive profits and executive bonuses, they have far less incentive to take risk and invest in R&D to find innovative new drugs,” Mitchell said. “We need comprehensive reforms, including allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices. Medicare negotiation is supported by 90 percent of Americans. It’s time to pass it.” — (P4AD)
2. Senate Makes Moves
- Democrats are expected to include Medicare negotiation in the next budget reconciliation bill to both deliver on a top priority for a majority of Americans and help offset the costs of other provisions in the package. Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden said that Democrats are “moving aggressively” to protect Americans from high drug prices, and Senator Joe Manchin remarked that allowing Medicare to negotiate “should have been done years ago.” Fifteen vulnerable House Democrats also sent a letter this week asking congressional leadership to include Medicare negotiation in the budget bill. Momentum is building to deliver real change for the American people. Let’s keep it going. — (Kaiser Health News)
3. Unity
- Nearly 40 health care, business, labor, and consumer organizations — including the AFL-CIO, Families USA, and P4ADNow — united to call onCongress to pass legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices. The burden of out-of-control drug prices impacts every person in this country. Collectively, we’re saying: Enough is enough. — (The Hill)
4. Patients Pay The Price
- This week, New Jersey patient advocate Elizabeth Gallagher, who lives with type 2 diabetes, joined Rep. Andy Kim at an event calling on Congress to allow Medicare negotiation. Elizabeth and patient advocate Lisa Wetzel-Trainor, who lives with fibromyalgia, PTSD, and ADHD, also shared their experiences with high drug prices with NJ Spotlight News. Patients in New Jersey and across the country have been waiting too long for relief. Lawmakers must stand up and defend patients, not drug industry greed. — (NJ Spotlight News)
5. Eyes On Maine
- When the Maine state legislature reconvenes on Monday, lawmakers must override the governor’s veto of two critical bills that would lower prescription drug prices for Mainers, writes Senate President Troy Jackson in an op-ed. The bills, passed by the legislature in June, would prohibit drug makers from making excessive price hikes. “It’s time for elected officials to do what’s right for Mainers and put an end to sky-high prescription drug prices,” Jackson writes. — (St. John Valley Times)