ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Maryland legislature officially voted to create a groundbreaking Prescription Drug Affordability Board, an independent body with the authority to evaluate high-cost prescription drugs and set reasonable rates. The bill, HB 768, now moves to Gov. Larry Hogan’s desk, with a chance to set a model for the nation to make prescription drugs more affordable. Today, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now launched a new flight of digital ads that give residents tools to encourage Gov. Hogan to sign the bill into law.
P4ADNow, a bipartisan patient advocacy organization that takes no money from the pharmaceutical industry, earlier endorsed the legislation and ran an aggressive campaign to support the bill. Today’s new digital ads continue a 5-figure effort to support state partners, including AARP Maryland, NAACP, MedChi, and the Maryland Health Care For All Coalition.
“The state needs this board to push back against Big Pharma’s unaffordable prices,” said Maryland resident David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder and president of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “The status quo needs to change, and the Prescription Drug Affordability Board is a national model.”
The Prescription Drug Affordability Board bill, sponsored by Senator Katherine Klausmeier and Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk, would:
To date, thousands of Maryland residents have reached out to state lawmakers in support of the measure.
According to recent polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation, only 25 percent of Americans say they trust drug corporations to price their products fairly. Among Maryland voters, 78 percent favor creating a prescription drug affordability board in Maryland, according to a January Gonzales Poll by Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative.
Patient perspective
Stahis Panagides is a Marylander, Parkinson’s patient, and Medicare recipient whose life has been directly impacted by skyrocketing prescription drug prices.
“My doctor recently prescribed Rytary to mitigate my disease. But even with my robust Medicare plan, I am not able to afford the $400 monthly price tag on this drug. It’s heartbreaking to know that there’s a drug out there that could treat my symptoms, but I can’t access it because the price is just too high,” Stahis told Patients For Affordable Drugs Now.
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SALEM, Ore. — Oregon state lawmakers are weighing key measures this week that would protect residents from Big Pharma’s skyrocketing drug prices. One bill would require that drug makers give 60-day notice to the state before spiking drug prices, while a second reform would allow Oregon patients to purchase medication from Canada at fraction of the cost. A new, 5-figure campaign launched today to highlight stories of Oregon patients struggling under high drug prices and give Oregon residents tools to contact their state lawmakers in support of these drug pricing reforms.
Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, a bipartisan patient advocacy organization that takes no money from the pharmaceutical industry, is proud to endorse the proposed legislation alongside the Oregon Coalition For Affordable Prescriptions. Hundreds of Oregonians have contacted P4ADNow to report harm caused by the cost of their prescription drugs.
Oregon’s HB 2658 would require that drug manufacturers provide 60-day advance notice before raising prices beyond certain thresholds over a 12-month period. HB 2689 and SB 409 would create a state program to import and distribute wholesale prescription drugs from Canada. At significant savings to patients, the program would ensure safety on par with the U.S. drug supply chain system.
Both measures are being considered by key committees in the Oregon House and Senate this week.
“Oregonians are desperate for relief from crushing drug prices,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “While there is still work to be done to lower the list prices of drugs, these important bills could give Oregonians safe and less-expensive options and protection from being blindsided by price hikes.”
Americans pay anywhere from two to six times more than the rest of the world for brand-name prescription drugs. According to one report, the retail price of a vial of insulin in the U.S. is over $300. In Canada, the same vial costs $32.
Patient Perspective
Hundreds of Oregon patients have written to Patients For Affordable Drugs Now to report how their lives have been directly impacted by skyrocketing prescription drug prices. Here’s a look at three of those stories:
David Schmor, St. Helens, OR: “I have stage 4 prostate cancer along with a heart condition. I began with surgery that cost over $100,000, followed by radiation which was another $100,000, and ongoing hormone therapy that cost me $200 out of pocket every three months. Just one of my pills, Xtandi, costs $400 a day.”
Sarah Esterman, Portland, OR: “Out of pocket, the drug would cost me $460 a month—which I can’t reliably afford.”
Pat Rubino, St. Helens, OR: “I have seen the impact high prescription drug prices have on many Americans and feel strongly that something must be done immediately. No one should ever have to consider not taking their medicine because they cannot afford it!”
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to the House Ways and Means Committee unanimously passing H.R. 2113, legislation aimed at stopping drug price gouging and shedding light on secret PBM activity, Ben Wakana, the Executive Director of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, issued the following statement:
“The bipartisan bill that passed today is a small step toward addressing an issue that 8 in 10 Americans say is a top priority. Patients appreciate Chairman Neal, Ranking Member Brady, and members on both sides of the aisle for working on an issue that is sending far too many Americans into debt.
“While we want to recognize today’s small win over Big Pharma, more action is necessary to help patients and lower prescription drug prices. We look forward to working with Congress to see further reforms enacted.”
BACKGROUND:
PRICE GOUGING: Language included in today’s bill would require drug manufacturers to provide written justification for price increases of 10 percent or $10,000 over 1 year, 25 percent or $25,000 over 3 years, or a starting drug price of more than $26,000. The drug company’s justification would be made public on the HHS website and failure to report justification would result in a $10,000 per day fine.
PBM TRANSPARENCY: Language included in today’s markup would make public on HHS’ website information on PBM rebates. The information would include, by drug class, the aggregate amount of rebates, discounts, or price concessions that are passed through to the plan sponsor.
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We won’t spoil Game of Thrones, but we will spoil Big Pharma’s ongoing attempt to rob us all.
Welcome to the Week in Review in Prescription Drug Pricing!
1. Drowning in debt
2. Pharma on the run
3. Call us
4. Influence peddling in the commonwealth
5. Another week, another insulin pricing Band-Aid
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A first-in-the-nation California bill would stop Big Pharma from cutting deals that block less-expensive generic drugs for state residents — a tactic that limits patient choice and costs taxpayers billions each year. Californians have written hundreds of letters in support of Assembly Bill 824, which is being heard in the judiciary committee this week. The bill also received an endorsement today from Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, a Washington, DC-based patient advocacy organization that takes no money from the pharmaceutical industry or any other player in health care. The organization launched a 5-figure campaign to advance the bill.
“Big Pharma is reaching into the pockets of hard-working Californians through dirty tactics like pay-for-delay deals that block cheaper generic drugs,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “We’ve heard from more than 1,000 Californians who report struggling to afford skyrocketing prescription drugs. All the while, Big Pharma’s profit margins are soaring while players collude to cut monopolistic deals. AB 824 could put an end to this egregious scheme that’s gone unchecked for far too long.”
AB 824 would:
Patients For Affordable Drugs Now’s 5-figure campaign includes digital ads to give Californians tools to contact their representatives in support of the legislation through letter writing and phone calls.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to the House Energy and Commerce Committee passing the CREATES Act and legislation to end pay-for-delay tactics, David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, issued the following statement:
“Many Americans have lost faith in Congress’s ability to fix problems. Today, the Energy and Commerce Committee proved that small but important bipartisan reforms are still possible. I appreciate Chairman Pallone, Ranking Member Walden, and members on both sides of the aisle for working on one of the most critical issues facing Americans — skyrocketing prescription drug prices.
“Today’s actions must be the first step by this Congress on the path to lower drug prices, not the last. Even when these bills are signed into law, Americans will still go into debt at the hands of drug companies.
“More action is required to fix our broken system and lower prescription drug prices. We look forward to working with Congress to see further reforms enacted.”
BACKGROUND:
REMS ABUSES: Brand drug companies use a safety program called Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) as a pretext for not selling drug samples to generic companies, which need the brand product in order to develop an equivalent and lower-priced competitor. The CREATES Act would address delay tactics that are used by brand drug manufacturers to block lower-priced generic drugs. The U.S. could save $3.9 billion by stopping this abuse, which the FDA has called “unfair and exploitative.”
PAY-FOR-DELAY: Brand drug companies pay off generic companies that plan to bring a competitor to market. In exchange for this payment, the generic manufacturer delays its product’s entry into the market. HR 1449, the Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drugs Act would limit deals in which brand and generic drug manufacturers use anti-competitive pay-off agreements to delay cheaper generic and biosimilar drugs from reaching patients.
PATIENT PERSPECTIVE:
Celgene’s cancer medication, Revlimid, tops a list maintained by the FDA that highlights which brand pharmaceutical corporations are blocking generic competition. The maneuver puts patients like Pam Holt’s life and financial wellbeing at risk. The cancer patient took on $10,000 in debt and refinanced her home to afford Revlimid, telling Patients For Affordable Drugs:
“Celgene, the company that makes Revlimid, should be giving samples to generic drug makers so they can make a cheaper version, but it repeatedly refused to do so. Celgene is abusing a loophole in our laws to keep the price high. The company keeps raising the price simply because it can. And, I keep taking on debt.”
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If Alanis Morissette released her iconic album today, would it be called Jagged Little Overpriced Pill?
Welcome to the Week in Review in Prescription Drug Pricing.
1. Fear the Turtle
2. Taxpayers pay twice
3. Highway Robbery
4. Sticker shock won’t lower drug prices
5. Does not compute
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington patients are one step closer to relief from skyrocketing prescription drug prices. SB 5292 and HB 1224 — legislation that would shed light on drug manufacturers’ pricing behavior — passed key policy committees recently and heads to the fiscal committees this week. Given the recent momentum, patients are speaking out about the devastating impact of rising drug prices and explaining how drug pricing legislation would help protect the state and residents from price hikes.
“Washington residents have been sending a clear message to lawmakers in support of the state’s effort to shed a light on rising prescription drug prices,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “We all pay for Pharma’s unfettered greed, and Washington residents are struggling to fill both the kitchen pantry and the medicine cabinet. The status quo needs to change, and SB 5292 and HB 1224 are a step in the right direction.”
Patients Take Action: Last week, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now launched a new digital campaign to give Washington residents tools to contact their elected officials in support of measures to address rising drug prices. The campaign has included:
Washington Legislation would:
Patients Speak Out:
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