Welcome to the Week in Review.

Senate HELP Advances P4ADNow-Backed Bills

Yesterday, the Senate HELP Committee advanced two bipartisan and P4ADNow-supported bills: The Biosimilar Red Tape Elimination Act (S. 1954), which would reduce unnecessary regulatory hurdles that slow the adoption of lower-cost biosimilars, and The Medication Affordability and Patent Integrity Act (S. 2658), which would strengthen oversight of the patent system and close loopholes that delay competition. P4ADNow has been in support of these bills for years, and we see opportunities for both to pass in a number of potential packages later this year. Additionally, The Ensuring Timely Access to Generics Act of 2025 (S. 3014), which targets sham citizen petitions that block generic entry, was amended to include the INSULIN Act and did not receive a vote. This is another P4ADNow-supported bill, and we anticipate it will be included in a forthcoming July markup. — [IP Watchdog, POLITICO

New Study Reaffirms the Broad Success of OOP Cost Caps

After out-of-pocket expenses were capped for patients on Medicare, their ability to both access and use costly medications increased. That’s according to a new study this week examining changes in prescription fills from 2022 to 2025 — before and after Medicare’s annual out-of-pocket spending caps were introduced. In the researcher’s words, “the policy substantially improved patient access.” After the implementation of the cap, patients had a pronounced increase in fill rates for high-cost drugs, such as treatments for cancer and pulmonary fibrosis. These results mirror what we’ve been hearing from members in our community, and it further reinforces the case for expanding similar caps past Medicare and to the commercial market in conjunction with mechanisms that tackle list price. — [JAMA]

ICYMI

P4AD CEO Merith Basey joined Laura Packard of Care Talk last week to discuss the recent  Supreme Court decision to reject six of the largest pharmaceutical industry lawsuits against Medicare negotiation. You can watch the full episode below! — [Care Talk]

Patient Advocate Spotlight: Cheryl Jones

Condition: Thyroid Cancer

Drugs: Armour Thyroid (Over $100 per bottle), and other medications

Background: Patient advocate from Del City, Oklahoma 

In Her Words: “For those of us on limited incomes and living off of Social Security benefits, such high costs hurt us badly. We are supposed to be living in our golden years, not dealing  with fear and anxiety of where our next meal will come from. It ultimately comes down to the decision of buying prescription drugs or food to eat. 

We should all have access to affordable prescription drugs in this country. Instead, the pharmaceutical companies keep raising their drug costs while insurance companies refuse to pay for varying degrees of a medication’s cost.”

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