Welcome to the Week in Review.
Patients Push For Competition
On Friday, a group of organizations representing patients, seniors, and employers sent a letter to members of the House Judiciary Committee calling for urgent action on bipartisan legislation in Congress to lower drug prices. The letter urges committee leaders to advance bipartisan bills in the House aimed at reducing Big Pharma’s anti-competitive patent abuses that artificially extend monopolies and keep drug prices high. In addition to Patients for Affordable Drugs Now, the letter was signed by AARP, the Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing (CSRxP), the ERISA Industry Committee, the Purchaser Business Group on Health, and the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society. The letter detailed abusive tactics such as patent thicketing, product hopping, and pay-for-delay schemes, emphasizing the need for action by the House Judiciary Committee to improve drug pricing competition before the end of the year. The Senate Judiciary Committee has already passed several bipartisan bills to boost competition in the prescription drug market, which are estimated to save taxpayers more than $4.5 billion over the next decade. To maintain momentum on this issue, this week, CSRxP, one of the letter’s signatories, launched a seven figure ad campaign to raise awareness of pharma’s anti-competitive tactics and urge lawmakers to take action. As Congress returns from recess, it’s crucial that legislators heed the demands of patients and consumers by advancing bipartisan bills to reform the patent system and reduce prescription drug costs. — (patientspushforcompetition.org, Axios)
P4AD Advocates In the News
P4AD advocates are continuing to spotlight the historic relief being delivered through the Inflation Reduction Act. On Tuesday, Jackie Trapp, a retired educator from Wisconsin living with multiple myeloma, participated in a virtual White House call and shared how Medicare’s out-of-pocket spending cap has reduced the financial burden of her prescription drugs. After nine years of paying between $15,000 to $21,000 annually for her cancer medication, Jackie told the President during the event that she was able to celebrate the New Year knowing that she wouldn’t have to pay more than $3,300 in January this year after she met the cap, and in 2025, her spending would be further reduced to $2,000 annually. Another patient advocate Judy Aiken was featured in her hometown newspaper, the Portland Press Herald, after introducing both President Biden and Vice President Harris at an event in August celebrating the new lower drug prices under Medicare negotiation. Judy shared how her out-of-pocket costs for her psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis medication Enbrel, which used to cost her over $9,000 a year, have been cut in half this year because of the out-of-pocket cap. The historic drug price law wouldn’t have crossed the finish line without the tireless advocacy of patients like Judy and Jackie, and as the reforms continue to take effect, P4AD will continue to amplify their voices, showcasing the real impact of this hard-fought victory on millions of Americans. — (Spectrum News, The White House, UPI, Courthouse News, Newsweek, Portland Press Herald)
ICYMI
Reforms to lower drug prices continue to have broad bipartisan support from voters. New polling from Navigator Research reveals that 86 percent of Americans support expanding Medicare’s authority to negotiate for lower drug prices and 82 percent support capping the price of insulin at $35 a month, viewing these measures as an essential step towards delivering relief to American families.
Subscribe to the WEEK IN REVIEW here.