Welcome to the Week in Review.

White House Announces Deals with Nine Pharmaceuticals Companies

This afternoon, the White House announced it has reached agreements with nine more pharmaceutical giants to lower the prices of certain prescription drugs for patients who purchase them directly, without insurance, through the administration’s new TrumpRx direct-to-consumer (DTC) program, expected to launch in January 2026. Steps to reduce drug prices for patients are welcomed, especially by patients who rely on one of the over-priced essential medicines named in today’s announcement, but voluntary agreements with drug companies — especially when key details remain undisclosed — are no substitute for durable, system-wide reforms. Further, we caution against any approach that encourages drug companies to raise prices for patients in other countries. Pharmaceutical corporations already generate massive profits in every country where they sell their products, and increasing drug prices internationally will do nothing for American patients. — [P4ADNow]

$16 Billion Sent to Cover Medicare Drug Spending

In the largest reconciliation payment since 2006, the federal government sent $16 billion to Medicare drug plans to cover higher-than-expected prescription drug spending. The surge reflects not only the growing use of high-cost cancer and GLP-1 drugs, but also the impact of the $2,000 out-of-pocket cap, which was introduced this year, and which ensures patients on Medicare never pay more than the out-of-pocket limit for their prescription drugs. The cap is a real win for patients — protecting people like Jackie from price spikes and financial hardship — but it doesn’t address the root cause of sky-high costs: the ability of pharmaceutical companies to set and raise prices at will. Drugmakers continue to raise list prices year after year, leaving Medicare and taxpayers to pick up the tab. Drugmakers continue to raise list prices year after year, leaving Medicare and taxpayers to pick up the tab. That’s why Medicare negotiation’s ability to target the underlying problem is so critical. It gives the government leverage to bring down drug list prices directly, establishing structural reforms that don’t merely shift costs around.— [STAT News, P4AD]

New AARP Report Extols Medicare Negotiation

Patients taking prescription drugs in the first round of Medicare negotiation are projected to see their out-of-pocket costs fall by an average of over 50% once the prices take effect on January 1, 2026, according to brand new analysis from AARP. The report also found that 7 of the 10 negotiated drugs are expected to cost patients under $100 per month in 2026, saving  $1.5 billion in total patient out-of-pocket) spending next year alone. — [AARP]

P4AD Announces Retirement of Founder David Mitchell

This week, Patients For Affordable Drugs announced that Founder and President of the Board, David Mitchell, has retired. After his diagnosis with multiple myeloma and facing drug costs exceeding $300,000 a year, David founded Patients For Affordable Drugs in 2016 to ensure that patients would have a seat at the table in shaping the nation’s drug pricing policies. Today, the organization has grown into a community of half a million, and David’s relentless commitment to reforming the drug price system — without taking a penny from the industry — made him one of the most trusted and influential voices in the nation on this issue. — [P4AD]

ICYMI

P4AD CEO Merith Basey’s new op-ed in El Tiempo Latino celebrates the lower negotiated prices announced for the second round of Medicare negotiation — and what that means for patients in the Latino community in particular. The Latino community is 18% more likely to report being unable to afford healthcare costs and faces higher rates of illnesses such as diabetes and chronic liver disease, making outreach and education efforts in both English and Spanish critical. — [El Tiempo Latino]

Patient Advocate Spotlight: Jackie Trapp. P4AD Patient Advocate of the Year

Background: Multiple Myeloma, an incurable blood cancer
Drug: Revlimid ($180k / year before the $2k cap) and Xarelto
Background: Former high school teacher from Muskego, WI

From traveling to D.C. to meet with her lawmakers during our bipartisan Hill Day, to sharing her story in media interviews, to participating in a roundtable with HHS Secretary Kennedy and NIH Director Bhattacharya, Jackie has been at the forefront of patient advocacy in 2025. We’re proud to announce Jackie as our Patient Advocate of the Year! 

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