Get your vaccine now, a donut tomorrow, and a $175 booster next year?
Welcome to the Week in Review.
A Lesson From COVID-19 Vaccines
In response to the CDC director’s concern that drug companies will increase the price of COVID-19 vaccines, P4AD Founder David Mitchell authored a New York Times op-ed explaining how the COVID-19 vaccine story has made it clearer than ever that the government must be allowed to negotiate drug and vaccine prices on behalf of Americans. For decades, pharma has profited from a rigged system that uses taxpayer dollars to fund innovation and allows drug companies to set prices, raking in record profits. This year, we can break the cycle. — (The New York Times)
2.This Is The Moment
Congress has the best chance in years to pass game-changing legislation to lower drug prices. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill and in the White House alike are strongly considering including provisions to allow Medicare negotiation for drug prices, a tactic with overwhelming voter support, in the next budget reconciliation bill. “We would be missing an opportunity if we did not include lowering the cost of prescription drugs,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. Patients couldn’t agree more. — (Kaiser Health News)
3. Coast To Coast
At a Senate HELP subcommittee hearing on high drug prices this week, lawmakers shared the stories of constituents struggling to afford their medications. Senator Lisa Murkowski told the story of an Alaska patient who saw the price of her inhaler increase in January for the third year in a row, and Senator Tammy Baldwin read a Wisconsin patient’s account of how her high-priced cancer drugs are driving her family toward bankruptcy. Stories like these can be found in all 50 states — everysenator must take a stand against pharmaceutical price gouging. — (P4ADNow)
4. “Not The Life That I Want For My Son”
On Tuesday, patient advocate Sabrina Burbeck spoke out in support of a package of bills introduced by Maine state lawmakers to rein in high drug prices. Sabrina’s son, who lives with type 1 diabetes, relies on insulin that is priced at $350 per month. “He had to change what kind of insulin he takes based on costs, and has even resorted to rationing vials of insulin when he is in a pinch,” Sabrina said. “No one should have to live like this or make choices like this. This is not the life that I want for my son.” — (Public News Service)
5. Drugs Don’t Work If People Can’t Afford Them
A new survey found that nearly 4 in 10 Americans have had difficulty affording their prescription drugs in the past year. About 20 percent have taken on debt to pay for their drugs, and nearly 40 percent have had to change their medication regimen in some way because of high prices. We must keep fighting for a future where patients no longer have to choose between risking their health or their financial security. — (GoodRx)
One more thing: This week, P4AD Founder David Mitchell pushed back against the idea that Big Pharma deserves all the credit for COVID-19 vaccines in a Wall Street Journal letter. He breaks down just how much publicly funded research and the government are to thank for the vaccines.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Today, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now endorsed the Making Health Care Work for Maine package, a sweeping new package of bills aimed at taking on drug companies and lowering prescription drug prices for Mainers. The pieces of legislation were introduced by Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, along with Senate Majority Leader Eloise Vitelli, Senator Cathy Breen, and Senator Ned Claxton.
“We applaud Senators Jackson, Vitelli, Breen, and Claxton for this comprehensive drug price reform package,” said Sheila McLean, executive director of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “Patients For Affordable Drugs Now is proud to lend its endorsement of this legislation that would bring relief to Mainers suffering from the high price of prescription drugs.”
The package includes five pieces of legislation that would hold Big Pharma accountable by expanding pharmaceutical drug price transparency requirements, prohibiting unwarranted price hikes on both brand-name and generic prescription drugs, and providing support to the Maine prescription drug affordability board established by 2019’s LD 1499. The package would also provide relief to Mainers living with diabetes by creating emergency access to insulin at affordable prices.
In Old Town, Maine, Sabrina Burbeck knows all too well the impact that high-priced insulin has on families. Her 8-year-old son, Dakota, lives with type 1 diabetes and relies on insulin to survive. Humalog, the type of insulin that Dakota is prescribed, is priced at $350 for a month’s supply.
“No mother should have to worry if the life of her bright, loving, and curious child will be cut short because the price of their medication spikes overnight or they simply can’t afford it one month,” Burbeck explained at today’s press conference held by Senator Jackson. “The Making Health Care Work for Mainepackage is about reining in health care costs while providing immediate access to life-saving medication. It’s about making health care work for families like mine.”
The Making Health Care Work for Maine package includes the following legislation:
LD 675, led by Senator Ned Claxton, would clamp down on unsupported price increases by fining pharmaceutical manufacturers that increase drug prices without justification.
LD 1117, led by Senate President Troy Jackson, would prohibit price gouging on generic and off-patent drugs and give the state attorney general authority to bring penalties against drug companies that refuse to lower prices.
LD 673, led by Senator Cathy Breen, would create an insulin safety net program to provide emergency access to affordable insulin for Mainers needing immediate relief.
LD 686, led by Senate Majority Leader Eloise Vitelli, would strengthen prescription drug pricing transparency by requiring the Maine Health Data Organization to share information collected from drug companies with the public.
LD 120, led by Senate President Troy Jackson, would establish the Office of Affordable Health Care to help examine the factors contributing to rising prices.
The legislature’s Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee will hold public hearings on all five bills in the coming weeks.
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SALEM, Ore. — Today, Oregon patient advocates Joanna Olson, Janet Bacon, and Mike Nielsen will testify in front of the Oregon Senate Health Care Committee in support of Senate Bill 844, which would establish a prescription drug affordability board and stakeholder council in an effort to rein in high drug prices for Oregonians.
Joanna Olson of Beaverton, Oregon, suffers from a blood clotting condition and was prescribed Eliquis, which costs her $430 for a month’s supply. “Every time I pick up the prescription, I think about leaving without the drug,” Olson, 86, will explain. “A common medicine needed by millions like Eliquis shouldn’t break the bank for seniors like me, who live on a fixed income.”
In Happy Valley, Oregon, Janet Bacon’s inhaler Spiriva is priced at $478 a month. “If my drug prices continue to go up, I don’t know how I will get by — I worry about needing to sell my home and property to afford the medications I need,” Bacon, a retiree and a Medicare beneficiary, will say. “A prescription drug affordability board would hold Big Pharma accountable for its outrageous pricing practices and bring much needed relief to me and patients across our state. I urge you to vote in support of Senate Bill 844.”
SB 844 would establish a prescription drug affordability board and stakeholder council designed to review prices for prescription drugs that meet specified cost criteria. The board would:
Be required to establish an upper payment limit for drugs that create or are expected to create affordability challenges for health systems and patients in Oregon, or health inequities for communities of color.
Identify drugs based on manufacturer reporting, including:
Increases to the wholesale acquisition cost of any brand drug by $3,000 or more during a 12-month period or drugs coming to market at a wholesale acquisition cost of $30,000 per year or per course of treatment;
Generic drugs with a wholesale acquisition cost of $100 or more;
Existing generic medications that increase in price by 200 percent or more per year or per course of treatment.
Mike Nielsen’s wife, Jacki, was diagnosed with the potentially fatal disease hepatitis C. Her doctor prescribed her the curative drug Mavyret, which costs over $13,000 for a 90-day supply — or $433 per pill. That was unaffordable for the couple. “It’s wrong what the drug companies are allowed to get away with by playing the system and preventing more affordable generics from coming to market,” Mike Nielsen, a 69-year-old Vietnam veteran in Bend, Oregon, will tell the committee. “I am asking our legislators to fight for patients like us.”
The hearing and Olson, Bacon, and Nielsen’s testimonies can be watched hereat 1:00 PM PT.
Senate Bill 844 is one of three bills taking on high drug prices. The Senate Health Care Committee also held a hearing on pharmaceutical reform Senate Bills 764 and 763, which are now moving through amendments for a final vote.
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Hello! I’m thrilled to be joining P4ADNow and all of you in the fight to lower drug prices.
Welcome to the Week in Review.
It’s Official: Secretary Becerra
In a win for patients facing high prescription drug prices, Xavier Becerra was confirmed as the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday. Secretary Becerra has been clear and consistent in his commitment to lower drug prices, and we look forward to working with him to ensure that medications are accessible and affordable for all. — (Endpoints News)
2.Winning The Battle In Minnesota
Minnesota successfully defended its insulin affordability law, which provides free insulin to diabetes patients unable to afford the high prices, against a suit brought by industry trade group PhRMA. The law is named after Alec Smith, who died after rationing his insulin supply. Now that an insulin safety net has been established, lawmakers must continue the fight and pass legislation to lower list prices for all. — (MinnPost)
3. The Price Is Never Right
AbbVie CEO Richard Gonzalez netted a compensation package of $24 million last year, during a pandemic, as the company exceeded its revenue targets. This is an increase of 11 percent from 2019. AbbVie continues to hike the price of its blockbuster Humira, the best-selling drug that famously generates more revenue each year than the entire NFL. When pharma executives are incentivized to meet earnings targets for higher bonuses, the result is an endless cycle of price gouging. — (FiercePharma)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following statement was issued today by David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, on the confirmation of Xavier Becerra as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
“Congratulations to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. President Biden made a great choice to lead HHS, and Becerra’s confirmation is a win for patients across the country who are struggling with high drug prices. We look forward to working together to restore balance to our system by ensuring patients get the innovation they need at prices they can afford. We know we can have both.”
BACKGROUND:
In his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate HELP Committee Feb. 23, Becerra confirmed that tackling the high price of prescription drugs would be a top priority for him as Secretary of HHS.
During his hearing in front of the Senate Finance Committee Feb. 24, Becerra reasserted his commitment, promising to work with Congress on a bipartisan solution for prescription drug pricing.
As attorney general of California, Xavier Becerra sponsored and helped pass AB 824, which bans collusive pay-for-delay deals and promotes generic drug competition.
Becerra successfully defended the legislation in court, warding off multiple industry legal challenges.
Becerra worked with Patients For Affordable Drugs Now to elevatepatientstories in support of the first-in-the-nation legislation.
Becerra has ledmultiple coalitions of state attorneys general calling for the regulation of pharmacy benefit managers to increase transparency and improve drug affordability.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Becerra urged the federal government to make Gilead’s COVID-19 drug remdesivir more affordable because it was developed using taxpayer funding.
During his 24 years in the House prior to serving as attorney general, Becerra co-sponsored multiple billsthatwouldallowMedicare to negotiate for lower drug prices.
As chair of the House Democratic Caucus, Becerra formed a task force “to examine the rising cost of prescription drugs” in 2016.
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As The Fight To Lower Drug Prices Ramps Up, Audrey Baker Will Lead P4AD’s Communications Efforts
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The bipartisan advocacy organization Patients For Affordable Drugs, and its sister organization Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, today named Audrey Baker as its communications director. Audrey will take leadership of overall communications, including media relations. Audrey has worked in advocacy communications for over five years, most recently at the communications firm M+R, where she led media strategy for reproductive rights, criminal justice, housing, food advocacy, and humanitarian campaigns.
“Audrey’s sharp communications skills, storytelling, and advocacy experience will be pivotal to our efforts to achieve meaningful drug pricing reform,” said Sheila McLean, executive director of Patients For Affordable Drugs and Patients For Affordable Drugs Now.
In addition to her communications and media relations experience, Audrey has worked as an organizer for local, state, and federal campaigns.
“With Congress and the White House turning to drug pricing legislation, now is the time to ramp up our advocacy efforts to win the fight for affordable drugs,” McLean added.
Patients For Affordable Drugs is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. It is the only independent national patient organization focused exclusively on policy changes to lower prescription drug prices. Patients For Affordable Drugs Now is a not-for-profit 501(c)(4) organization focused on advancing policies to lower drug prices. Both are independent and bipartisan and neither accepts funding from any organizations that profit from the development or distribution of prescription drugs.
Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and their executives stand to gain huge fortunes from the pandemic. It’s estimated that each drug corporation will make at least $10 billion in COVID-19 vaccine sales after the federal government invested hundreds of millions of dollars in these vaccines. Company executives are already cashing in, as the CEOs of Pfizer and J&J took home compensation packages of $21 million and $29 million, respectively, while Moderna’s CEO sold nearly $40 million worth of stock. It’s the definition of pandemic profiteering. — (The Guardian)
2.Double Talk
During an Axios interview, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said, “It will be terrible for society if price becomes an obstacle” to getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Yet, Pfizer’s chief financial officer admitted in February that the company is looking at increasing vaccine prices, from $19.50 to as much as $175 per dose after the pandemic period. To Mr. Bourla: Which is it? The decision, and the lives of millions, are in your hands. — (Axios)
3. Colorado Clamps Down
On Monday, Colorado patient advocate Kris Garcia shared his story in support of establishing a state prescription drug affordability board, which would have the power to evaluate and set upper payment limits on high-priced drugs. Kris relies on a medication that costs $10,000 per vial to manage several bleeding disorders. “I require four vials of this drug every time I get an infusion,” he said. “These shocking costs are [for] just one of the many drugs I need.” — (FOX 31)
4. Greed, Not Need
Pharma’s argument that high prices are necessary to fuel innovation just doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. Analyses show that the government contributed to the research and development of every new drug approved in the last decade, and that drug prices are far higher than what is needed to recoup R&D costs. Pharma can bring prices down; they just don’t want to. — (National Academy for State Health Policy)
5. Small Businesses Call For Lower Drug Prices
A new survey revealed 93 percent of small business owners hold the pharmaceutical industry responsible for high drug prices and expensive insurance, and over 80 percent believe the federal government should negotiate with drug companies. Patients and small businesses agree — Congress must address high drug prices now. — (Small Business for America’s Future)
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Eveleth patient Travis Paulson, who lives with type 1 diabetes, will testify in front of the Minnesota House State Government Finance and Elections Committee this afternoon in support of the bipartisan legislation HF 801, which would establish a prescription drug affordability board designed to address the high prices of prescription drugs for Minnesotans.
Paulson was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 14 and has struggled to keep up with the high price of insulin in recent years. His insulin, which he needs to survive, currently costs $300 a vial, which comes to $1,500 per month. Paulson has had to work odd jobs, living paycheck to paycheck in order to stay alive.
“Unfortunately for me, years of rationing insulin has caused long-term complications that never would have occurred if I had access to affordable insulin,” Paulson will tell the committee.
“These out-of-control drug prices have serious consequences for Minnesota patients and contribute to excessive costs for the state. We need our state government to pass House File 801, which would rein in drug prices while increasing transparency around the pricing practices of drug companies. Because drugs don’t work if people can’t afford them.”
Establish a prescription drug affordability commission and an advisory council. These entities would work together to analyze drug pricing data and determine which drugs are excessively priced and cause affordability challenges.
If a drug is found to create an affordability challenge, the commission may establish an upper payment limit to all drug purchasers and payers in Minnesota.
The hearing and Paulson’s testimony can be watched here at 6:00 PM CT.
The bill was previously heard in the House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee, where patient advocate Ramae Hamrin testified in support of the bill. It passed out of committee on a 11 to 7 vote.
