In a unanimous decision, the Federal Trade Commission voted this week to investigate the role of pharmacy benefit managers in the drug pricing supply chain and how their practices may influence high drug costs and patient access to drugs. As P4ADNow laid out in comments to the FTC, PBMs’ secret dealings have allowed them to become some of the most profitable players in the health care sector, and their opaque rebates and formulary decisions have a real impact on patient choice and the accessibility of cheaper generic competitors. P4ADNow has called for increased transparency and accountability into PBM practices; the commission’s investigation is a win for patients across the country. — (AP)
2. Soaring Prices Underscore Senators’ Work On Reconciliation
Passing comprehensive drug pricing reforms through reconciliation remains top of mind this week. As Treasury Secretary Yellen and Senator Kinghighlighted the importance of lowering prescription drug prices, Leader Schumer and Senator Manchin continued to discuss a framework for the reconciliation bill. Their work proceeds as a new research letter published in JAMA reveals the shocking growth of drug launch prices — the median price for a year’s supply of a new drug was $2,115 in 2008 and climbed to over $180,000 in 2021. It’s clear we need to end pharma’s unilateral pricing power to rein in soaring prices for patients. — (Punchbowl News, The Washington Post, CNN, WGME, Axios, NBC)
3. Life Or Death
Patientsandconstituentssharedtheirdrugpricingstories and advocated for reforms this week in news media and in letters to their local publications. In a CNBC segment, cancer patient and retired nurse Lynn Scarfuto described the life-or-death consequences of being unable to afford her medication, Imbruvica. “Too many Americans are forced to choose between buying the medications they need and paying for food, rent, gas, or utilities,” explains New Yorker Marie Santangelo. “I have found my payments increasing at the same time Big Pharma is receiving record profits,” shares Florida retiree Laura Fries. “We need this Congress to urgently pass a reconciliation package with comprehensive drug-pricing reforms to lower drug prices now,” writes Delaware patient Al Liebeskind. — (CNBC, Staten Island Advance, St. Augustine Record, Delaware State News, Nevada Current, Las Vegas Sun, The Capital Times, San Mateo Daily Journal)
One more thing: On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of senators sent a letter to the director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office urging the agency to address drug companies’ usage of patent thickets to insulate their products from competition.
President Biden, senators, and constituents all called on Congress to pass Medicare negotiation legislation this week. “We can reduce the price of prescription drugs by giving Medicare the power to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies and capping the cost of insulin,” President Biden writes in an op-ed explaining his plan to lower costs for Americans. At separate events with AARP chapters across the nation, Senators Durbin, Ossoff, and Blumenthal committed to continue fighting for lower drug prices for patients. “We’re out of time — every morning another American wakes up with a chronic disease like I did,” shares Samantha Cooksey Strickland, a multiple sclerosis patient. “Outrageous drug costs shouldn’t make the difference in how their future looks.” — (The Wall Street Journal, AARP Illinois, AARP Georgia, Fox61, Tallahassee Democrat)
3. What Are We Paying For?
A new analysis found that U.S. cancer mortality rates are similar to those of other wealthy countries even though the United States spends twice as much on cancer care. The researchers partly attribute these high expenditures to Medicare’s inability to negotiate lower prices, the frequent price hikes on cancer drugs, and FDA approval of expensive drugs without clear evidence of clinical benefit. The exorbitant sums that patients and taxpayers pay for cancer care are lining the pockets of drug companies instead of contributing to better health outcomes for Americans. It’s time to fix our broken drug pricing system. — (EurekAlert!, GoozNews)
One more thing: Alongside Public Citizen and 19 other organizations, P4ADNow signed a letter to President Biden on Wednesday urging him to nominate a director of the National Institutes of Health who will prioritize fair prices for taxpayer-funded medications.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
First and foremost, thank you for all of your support and hard work these past few weeks helping us continue the push for drug pricing reforms. We have not slowed our roll here at Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, and neither have tireless advocates like you. We have called on you to send messages to Congress, submit letters to the editor of your local newspaper, and help us amplify what legislators in Washington need to hear: Americans need lower prescription drug prices now.
The good news is our work is paying off. Leader Schumer and Senator Manchin are reportedly negotiating a reconciliation package behind closed doors that will include the drug price reforms already passed by the House of Representatives last fall. All 50 Senate Democrats have indicated their support for that drug pricing package. For the first time in months, Senator Manchin is saying he believes they can reach a deal and get this done. That is progress, and it’s due in no small part to the hard work and outreach by patients like you.
The reality is that with the legislative calendar growing shorter and the midterm elections fast approaching, time is running out for members of Congress to deliver on their promise to lower drug prices. We need the Senate to move with dispatch. This week, senators are in their home states, where they will undoubtedly hear from constituents like you about unconscionably high drug costs. When they return to D.C., they must take up the legislation and pass it.
That’s why we are continuing to push as hard as we can. The fight for Medicare negotiation has been going on for nearly two decades, and now we are so close to getting it done. Thousands of you stood up and shared your stories and called for action. Without you, we would not be on the threshold of historic reform. I am so grateful.
We will keep you updated on what is happening and how you can help in the coming weeks. Patient voices have been the most important factor in this fight. Now, let’s keep working to win.
David Mitchell
Cancer Patient And Founder Of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following statement was issued by David Mitchell, a cancer patient and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now:
“We are encouraged by signs of progress in the Senate — Leader Schumer and Senator Manchin are reportedly in quiet negotiations on a reconciliation package that will include the drug price reforms already passed by the House of Representatives. Lowering drug prices is a top priority for voters, the reforms have overwhelming bipartisan support, and President Biden yesterday again called on Congress to send drug price legislation to his desk. All 50 Senate Democrats have indicated their support for the drug pricing package under consideration.
“With the legislative calendar growing shorter and the midterm elections fast approaching, time is running out for members of Congress to deliver on their promise to the American people to lower drug prices. We need action. After spending time in their home states — where they will undoubtedly hear from constituents about unconscionably high drug costs — the Senate must return and advance these reforms. Patients across the country are depending on it.”
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Welcome to the Week in Review.
1. Voters Are Watching
Rep. Kurt Schrader’s loss in his primary election sends a clear message to Congress: Voters want effective action to lower drug prices. “It is a wake-up call across the country on the importance of taking steps to hold down the cost of medicine,” said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden. Senator Manchin confirmed that he and Leader Schumer are in conversation about moving forward a reconciliation package centering around drug pricing reforms. Americans are clear: Congress must pass drug pricing legislation now to lower costs for patients and taxpayers. Voters are watching. — (The Washington Post, Axios)
Big Pharma continued to make headlines this week for its unethical practices to extract maximum profits from patients and taxpayers. Drug giant AbbVie is facing a lawsuit for violating anti-kickback laws by providing doctors who prescribed its blockbuster drug Humira with registered nurses acting in the best interest of the company, and a class-action suit alleges that GSK blocked generics from entering the market for decades by shifting patients onto reformulations of inhalers with the same active ingredients. A new Oxfam report also describes how taxpayer-funded COVID-19 vaccines have brought in massive profits for drug companies and minted new billionaires in the process. Over and over again, the drug industry has shown it can’t be trusted to do the right thing — and why government reforms are necessary to protect patients from the abuses of Big Pharma. — (FiercePharma, FiercePharma, United Press International)
One more thing: As the Senate works on a reconciliation bill with drug pricing reforms, states are moving ahead to protect their residents from high prices. Maryland’s prescription drug affordability board — the first of its kind in the nation — began its work to establish upper payment limits this week, and a New Jersey bill to establish a drug affordability board passed a critical committee vote in the state Assembly. Thank you to all state lawmakers fighting for patients!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following statement was issued by David Mitchell, a cancer patient and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, following Jamie McLeod-Skinner’s primary victory in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District:
“Drug price reform figured prominently in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District primary, where Rep. Kurt Schrader tried to reinvent himself as pro-patient and anti-Big Pharma when he in fact led the effort to weaken legislation allowing Medicare negotiation. Voters saw through his lies, and for the first time in 42 years, an incumbent member of Congress lost his job in an Oregon primary. The result sends a clear message to Democrats and Republicans alike: Americans want Congress to pass legislation to lower drug prices, and those who stand in the way or fail to deliver on their promises will be held accountable by voters at the ballot box. More talk won’t do. Fake solutions won’t do. No more excuses. Right now, the Senate can deliver on its promises; the votes are there. The Senate must use its power under reconciliation now to enact the comprehensive reforms to lower drug prices already passed by the House of Representatives.”
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ICYMI: Roundup Of Overwhelming Momentum To Advance Comprehensive Drug Pricing Reforms By Memorial Day
Members Of Congress And President Biden Push For Lower Rx Prices
P4ADNow launched a six-figure ad campaign with twonew video ads featuring patients who have struggled with the high prices of their prescription drugs calling on Congress to lower drug prices. Meg Jackson-Drage, a Utah patient who lives with fibromyalgia and is unable to afford her medication Lyrica, also shared her story in a Scripps segment and a letter in The Salt Lake Tribune. She explains, “These reforms would make it possible for me to afford my medications without constantly worrying about how I will be able to make ends meet.” AARP hosted a “People’s Hearing” where seniors described how high drug prices are hurting them, Protect Our Care ran new ads thanking members of Congress who are fighting for the drug pricing provisions, and the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy released a storybook of patients sharing how high drug prices have harmed their families’ health and financial well-being. Patientsacrossthecountry continued to share their stories in the news and in letters-to-the editor.
Majority Leader Schumer and Senator Manchin are continuing conversations to put together a reconciliation bill with the House-passed prescription drug pricing reforms, and members of Congress are doubling down on their commitment to lower drug prices. Senator Cortez Masto penned an op-ed explaining how Nevadans will benefit from the reforms, including Medicare negotiation, and Senator Sinema vowed to “keep working to lower costs for prescription drugs while fueling innovation.” Twenty House Democrats in competitive districts also sent a letter to Leader Schumer and Senator Wyden urging them to advance a reconciliation bill with the drug pricing reforms. “Let’s make good on this promise,” they write. “We have the votes and, more importantly, we have the backing of the American people.” — (Politico, Reno Gazette-Journal, Senator Sinema, Rep. Wild)
2. This Is Why We’re Fighting
Advocates ramped up their calls for drug pricing reforms this week. Meg Jackson-Drage, a Utah patient who lives with fibromyalgia and is unable to afford her medication Lyrica, shared her story in a Scripps segment and a letter in The Salt Lake Tribune. “These reforms would make it possible for me to afford my medications without constantly worrying about how I will be able to make ends meet,” Meg writes. Protect Our Care released new ads thanking members of Congress who are fighting for the drugpricing provisions, and AARP hosted a “People’s Hearing” where seniors described how high drug prices are hurting them. “My doctor has repeatedly prescribed medications, and then I go to the pharmacy and have to decline them due to how much it would cost me,” says Kitty Ruderman, who lives with high cholesterol and osteoporosis. “Congress needs to bring some relief from this madness now.” — (Scripps Media, The Salt Lake Tribune, Protect Our Care, AARP)
3. Profits Over Patients
Two new reports this week shed light on how drug companies exploit patients for profit. Researchers describe how manufacturers of inhalers have gamed the patent system to win monopoly pricing power and stave off competition for decades — of the 62 inhalers approved by the FDA over 35 years, only one had a new mechanism of action. Newly released internal documents also reveal the unethical behaviors that pharmaceutical companies engage in to increase prescriptions of their drugs. There’s no limit to what Big Pharma will do to grow its bottom line — and patients are paying with their lives. — (Endpoints News, ProPublica)
