Welcome to the Week in Review.

Pharma Handouts, Not Patient Relief: Congress Passes The ORPHAN Cures Act

Today, the House passed a reconciliation bill that includes a nearly $5 billion giveaway to the pharmaceutical industry: the ORPHAN Cures Act, just a day after the Senate passed the same legislation, which now heads to the President’s desk. By including ORPHAN Cures, the reconciliation bill is ensuring drugs that should be included in Medicare negotiation — a program that’s supported by 86% of Americans on both sides of the aisle — won’t see lower prices in the coming years. It’s deeply disappointing that for many members of Congress, appeasing industry interests seems to come before standing with the nine in ten Americans demanding lawmakers lower drug prices and the millions of patients forced to make impossible choices because of their prescription costs. The reconciliation bill may have undermined historic affordability progress, but P4ADNow, alongside our community of patients, will continue fighting implementation of ORPHAN Cures and working to protect the Medicare negotiation program from any other attacks. — [Arnold Ventures, CSRxP, POLITICO Pro, CNBC, POLITICO Pro, Healthcare Finance, Fierce Pharma, Common Dreams, Nation of Change]

PhRMA Panics as “Most Favored Nation” Pricing Gains Traction

The pharmaceutical industry is panicking over a potential “Most Favored Nation” pricing policy. In an op-ed for STAT News, PhRMA CEO Stephen Ubl rolled out the industry’s usual fearmongering and blame-shifting to argue against aligning U.S. drug prices (which are the highest of anywhere in the world) with those in other wealthy nations. He even cites data from No Patient Left Behind, one of the pharma-funded front groups we exposed in our 2023 “Hidden Hand” report, to push the narrative that patients abroad are “freeloading.” Here’s the truth: drug companies already make huge profits in countries with lower prices. They want to keep the U.S. as their cash cow, charging Americans four to eight times more for brand-name drugs than patients elsewhere. MFN pricing threatens that status quo, which is exactly why pharma is fighting it. Aligning prices with peer nations is a path toward real relief for patients, but we must ensure it’s done right, without letting pharma raise prices abroad to protect their margins. Don’t let their talking points distract from the real problem: drug corporations, not other countries, are driving high prices in the U.S., and increasing prices internationally wouldn’t do anything to lower prices at home. — [STAT News, P4AD, HHS]

In Case You Missed It

On Monday, the FTC and DOJ held their first of three listening sessions examining how drug companies use tactics like pay-for-delay, product hopping, and rebating to block competition and keep prices high. Drug companies abuse the patent system to extend their monopolies and maximize profits, and the U.S. desperately needs increased competition and transparency if we want to see lower prices. According to the FDA, introducing one generic drug into the market reduces drug prices by 39%, while six or more result in a staggering 95% reduction in price. That’s why P4ADNow continues to fight for legislation to reduce patent abuses by drug corporations. — [FTC, FDA]

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