WASHINGTON, D.C. — Patients For Affordable Drugs Now today launched an ad thanking Rep. Angie Craig (MN-02) for being a champion in the fight for lower drug prices and for her vote to pass the Build Back Better Act. The ad features a cancer patient named Jackie, whose cancer medication, Revlimid, is priced at over $20,000 every month. 

“Millions of people like me are struggling. It’s time for our leaders to lead,” Jackie says in the ad. 

The ad responds to Rep. Craig’s vote in favor of the Build Back Better Act, which passed the House of Representatives on Nov. 19. Rep. Craig has been a leader in pushing for meaningful drug price reforms to be included in the Build Back Better Act. Following the release of the White House’s Build Back Better framework, which did not include any drug price reforms, she led a letter calling for the inclusion of reforms as an essential element in the legislation. Earlier this year, Rep. Craig also signed onto a letter calling on President Biden to include drug pricing in the reconciliation package. 

“On behalf of patients, we thank Rep. Craig for fighting to ensure the inclusion of meaningful drug price reforms in the Build Back Better Act,” said David Mitchell, a patient with incurable blood cancer whose drugs carry a list price of more than $900,000 per year and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “Her steadfast support for the drug price provisions in the Build Back Better Act was a key factor in the House passage of the bill that finally allows Medicare to negotiate lower prices. Ninety percent of voters support Medicare negotiation, and the reforms in Build Back Better will help millions of Americans.” 

The ad will run as the Senate moves to take up the Build Back Better Act in December. The Build Back Better Act will, for the first time, authorize Medicare to negotiate prices directly for some of the most expensive prescription medicines, including insulin; institute a hard cap on out-of-pocket drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries; and limit annual price increases to stop price gouging by drug corporations. 

“Congresswoman Craig just voted to pass the Build Back Better Act, which for the first time lets Medicare negotiate lower drug prices for Minnesotans,” the adrunning on digital platforms says. “She stood up to Big Pharma attacks and did the right thing for patients. Tell Representative Craig: Thank you for voting to lower drug prices for millions of Americans.”

Watch the ad here.

Full transcript of the ad below:

JACKIE: This is a four-week supply of my chemotherapy. It’s 20 pills, and it’s $20,000 every single month. Millions of people like me are struggling. It’s time for our leaders to lead.

VO: Congresswoman Craig just voted to pass the Build Back Better Act, which for the first time lets Medicare negotiate lower drug prices for Minnesotans. She stood up to Big Pharma attacks and did the right thing for patients. Tell Representative Craig: Thank you for voting to lower drug prices for millions of Americans.
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