P4ADNow Announces Florida Ad Campaign Urging Rep. Murphy To Vote For Effective Medicare Negotiation In Build Back Better Act
FLORIDA — Patients For Affordable Drugs Now launched a new ad today urging Stephanie Murphy (FL-07) to vote for passage of strong Medicare negotiation legislation in the Build Back Better Act. The campaign includes TV and digital ads featuring patient advocate Kris Garcia, who lives with multiple bleeding disorders including hemophilia. It also includes grassroots advocacy, in which patients will write and call their members of Congress directly asking them to pass the Build Back Better Act, including legislation to lower drug prices for patients.
“Each infusion of medicine that I need to live costs nearly $40,000. But without it, a minor accident can become a medical crisis for me and a financial crisis for my family,” Kris, a father of three based in Denver, explains in the ad. “For millions of Americans like me, this isn’t about politics — this is about life and death.”
Rep. Murphy (FL-07) voted for a drug pricing measure to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices in 2019 but voted against including identical legislation in the Build Back Better Act last month. She also joined a rival drug pricing bill that fails to empower negotiation in Medicare Part D, which accounts for 83 percent of Medicare drug spending, excludes most Part B drugs from negotiation, and has a much higher out-of-pocket cap.
“Stephanie Murphy has the chance to fight for Floridians by letting Medicare negotiate lower drug prices,” the ad says. “Tell Representative Murphy to stand with patients and vote yes on the Build Back Better Act.”
Below is a digital ad also running in the district:
“90 percent of Floridians in Rep. Murphy’s district support allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, and 78 percent think drug prices are unreasonable,” said David Mitchell, a patient with incurable blood cancer whose drugs carry a list price of more than $900,000 per year and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “It is imperative that Rep. Murphy seize this moment and deliver on promises to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for Americans — instead of supporting a weak and ineffective substitute masquerading as negotiation and designed to protect Big Pharma.”
P4ADNow also launched ads today urging Reps. Lou Correa (CA-46), Scott Peters (CA-52), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), and Kathleen Rice (NY-04) to pass strong Medicare negotiation legislation in the Build Back Better Act. These ads come on the heels of P4ADNow’s Arizona ad launch and are running simultaneously with two nationalads that combat Big Pharma’s lies and scare tactics. These ads are part of a seven-figure campaign that includes digital ads running across a variety of websites and news outlets and congressional outreach, where patient advocates are contacting their members of Congress to demand passage of legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate. P4ADNow’s recent ads can be found here.
On Capitol Hill, Senate and House leadership along with President Biden are working to craft a reconciliation package that includes legislation to let Medicare negotiate and has the support of all Democratic members of Congress. The current House version of the package includes H.R. 3, a comprehensive bill that allows Medicare to negotiate lower prices, which recently advanced out of the Ways and Means Committee.
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MAINE — Patients For Affordable Drugs Now launched a new ad today in Maine’s second congressional district thanking Rep. Jared Golden for fighting to let Medicare negotiate drug prices and asking him to get the job done by voting for the Build Back Better Act. The campaign includes TV and digital ads featuring patient advocate Kris Garcia, who lives with multiple bleeding disorders including hemophilia. It also includes grassroots advocacy, in which patients will write and thank Rep. Golden for his support of Medicare negotiation and ask him to pass the Build Back Better Act, including legislation to lower drug prices for patients.
“Each infusion of medicine that I need to live costs nearly $40,000. But without it, a minor accident can become a medical crisis for me and a financial crisis for my family,” Kris, a father of three based in Denver, explains in the ad. “For millions of Americans like me, this isn’t about politics — this is about life and death.”
Rep. Golden (ME-02) is a champion for allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices. He campaigned on the issue and went on to vote for H.R. 3, a drug pricing measure that would allow Medicare negotiation, in 2019. Since then, he has continued to push for strong drug pricing legislation in an op-ed calling for the reform and a letter calling for inclusion of negotiation in the reconciliation package. Rep. Golden will have the opportunity to vote for passage of the current drug pricing reform legislation in the full package when it heads to the floor.
“Jared Golden is fighting to let Medicare negotiate lower drug prices,” the adsays. “Tell Representative Golden, ‘thank you,’ and we’re counting on him to lower drug prices by voting yes for the Build Back Better Act.”
Below is a digital ad also running in the district:
“Rep. Golden has been a real champion for patients from day one. We want him to hear loud and clear: Thank you. A vote for the Build Back Better Act is a vote for patients and lower drug prices, and we have his back,” said David Mitchell, a patient with incurable blood cancer whose drugs carry a list price of more than $900,000 per year and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “Medicare negotiation is the most popular part of the president’s Build Back Better Act, and 94 percent of Mainers in Rep. Golden’s district support the policy, which would lower drug prices. It’s time to get it done. ”
On Capitol Hill, Senate and House leadership along with President Biden are working to craft a reconciliation package that includes legislation to let Medicare negotiate and has the support of all Democratic members of Congress. The current House version of the package includes H.R. 3, a comprehensive bill that allows Medicare to negotiate lower prices, which recently advanced out of the Ways and Means Committee.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Patients For Affordable Drugs Now launched a six-figure ad campaign today across five key House districts — Lou Correa (CA-46), Scott Peters (CA-52), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Stephanie Murphy (FL-07), and Kathleen Rice (NY-04) — urging the passage of strong Medicare negotiation legislation in the Build Back Better Act. The campaign includes TV and digital ads featuring patient advocate Kris Garcia, who lives with multiple bleeding disorders including hemophilia. It also includes grassroots advocacy, in which patients will write and call their members of Congress directly asking them to pass the Build Back Better Act, including legislation to lower drug prices for patients.
“Each infusion of medicine that I need to live costs nearly $40,000. But without it, a minor accident can become a medical crisis for me and a financial crisis for my family,” Kris, a father of three based in Denver, explains in the ads. “For millions of Americans like me, this isn’t about politics — this is about life and death.”
All five members voted for H.R. 3, a comprehensive bill that allows Medicare to negotiate lower prices, in 2019. This year, however, they introduced a rival drug pricing bill that fails to empower negotiation in Medicare Part D, which accounts for 83 percent of Medicare drug spending, excludes most expensive Part B drugs from negotiation, and has a much higher out-of-pocket cap.
Three of the representatives, Peters (CA-52), Murphy (FL-07), and Rice (NY-04), voted against inclusion of identical legislation in committee votes on the Build Back Better Act last month.
Watch the CA-52 ad here. Watch the FL-07 ad here. Watch the NY-04 ad here.
Reps. Gottheimer (NJ-05) and Correa (CA-46) have not yet had the opportunity to vote on the legislation this year, but both signed a letter voicing concerns about partisan drug pricing reforms in May. Rep. Gottheimer has criticized the Democrats’ reform efforts and defended the drug industry, and Rep. Correa enjoys a close relationship with pharma-allied groups opposed to negotiation.
“These members of Congress have a clear choice when they vote for the reconciliation package: Stand with patients for real reform that will lower drug prices, or stand with Big Pharma to keep drug prices high,” said David Mitchell, a patient with incurable blood cancer whose drugs carry a list price of more than $900,000 per year and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “It is imperative that Reps. Correa, Peters, Gottheimer, Murphy, and Rice seize this moment and deliver on promises to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for Americans — instead of supporting a weak and ineffective substitute masquerading as negotiation and designed to protect Big Pharma.”
P4ADNow also launched an ad today in Maine’s second congressional district thanking Rep. Jared Golden for fighting to let Medicare negotiate drug prices and asking him to get the job done by voting for the Build Back Better Act. These ads come on the heels of P4ADNow’s Arizona ad launch and are running simultaneously with two nationalads that combat Big Pharma’s lies and scare tactics. These ads are part of a seven-figure campaign that includes digital ads running across a variety of websites and news outlets and congressional outreach, where patient advocates are contacting their members of Congress to demand passage of legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate. P4ADNow’s recent ads can be found here.
On Capitol Hill, Senate and House leadership along with President Biden are working to craft a reconciliation package that includes legislation to let Medicare negotiate and has the support of all Democratic members of Congress. The current House version of the package includes H.R. 3, a comprehensive bill that allows Medicare to negotiate lower prices, which recently advanced out of the Ways and Means Committee.
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My name is Holly and I’m from Rockville Centre, New York. In 2014, during my freshman year in college, I was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In a matter of days, my whole life changed from focusing on my new classes and getting used to being on a college campus to dealing with intense treatment.
I was only 18. My top focus should’ve been my health and treatment, but unfortunately with the high cost of my chemotherapy, the drugs’ costs were also something I had to consider. Just six months of chemotherapy and a variety of other prescription drugs I needed totaled over $200,000. Luckily, my insurance covered a large portion of the cost for the first few months, but after I lost insurance, the second half of my chemotherapy cost me over $100,000.
I was lucky I only needed six months of treatment to go into remission- most people need longer, but I couldn’t fathom such a large number and how my family and I would pay for it. How could the life saving treatment I needed come at such an unreasonable price?
I finished treatment over six years ago, but still have felt the effects of this medical debt for years after. Because of the medical debt, it was difficult to acquire the student loans I needed to return to college.
The high prices of prescription drugs are something that unfortunately could follow me for the rest of my life because of the effects of chemo and cancer. Cancer not only left financial damage on my family, but I have to experience further costs for prescriptions for egg retrieval after the chemotherapy affected my fertility.
Even with insurance, the prescriptions needed for egg retrieval to potentially have children one day cost hundreds of dollars even with insurance and are priced at almost $4,000 without insurance. And in addition to the egg retrieval drug costs, I will have to pay for hormone therapy treatment starting in my 30’s and continuing for likely the rest of my life.
A cancer diagnosis shouldn’t come with tens of thousands of dollars in medical debt. I shouldn’t have to pay hundreds of dollars even with insurance for prescriptions so that I could potentially have kids if I decide to one day. It shouldn’t mean that for the rest of my life I’ll be paying expensive prices to pharmaceutical companies for hormone treatment therapy. That’s why I know we need reform to lower drug prices. I’ve lived with the high costs of prescription drugs for the past 7 years, and I need our leaders to act so I don’t have to live with them for the rest of my life.
My cancer diagnosis changed my life, not only medically and financially, but my diagnosis played a big part in why I went on to study microbiology in college. I want to help find innovative discoveries that will advance treatment and help improve lives. I value innovation and understand concerns about reductions in research and development for new drugs, but the Big Pharma talking point that any reduction in drug prices will lead to less innovation and will harm patients just doesn’t hold up. Patients can’t access the drugs they need already. There are so many great scientific breakthroughs that have been made that patients cannot benefit from right now because of out-of-reach drug prices. With lower drug prices, patients can get the innovation we need at prices we can afford and people like me won’t have the cost of their drugs hanging over their head for years to come.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Patients For Affordable Drugs Now launched a six-figure Arizona ad today as part of its campaign to support legislation that would lower drug prices for Americans by allowing Medicare to negotiate. The new ad, which will run on Arizona cable and digital platforms starting today, features Phoenix patient advocate Iesha Meza, who lives with type 1 diabetes and depends on insulin to survive. In addition to the video, Arizona advocates are contacting their members of Congress to support passage of legislation to lower drug prices.
“When you have diabetes, insulin is like water — without it, you’ll die. Now imagine if water cost $300 a vial. I had to ration my insulin, and it almost killed me,” Iesha tells Congress in the ad. “Millions of Americans can’t afford the medicines they need to survive. That shouldn’t happen in our country. We need Congress to finally do something.”
“Arizonans are counting on their members of Congress to pass strong drug pricing reform that includes Medicare negotiation, which 9 out of 10 of Arizona voters support,” said David Mitchell, a patient with incurable blood cancer whose drugs carry a list price of more than $900,000 per year and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “As our ad says, ‘Patients across Arizona need Congress to let Medicare negotiate lower drug prices. The time is now.’”
Both SenatorSinema and SenatorKelly ran on a promise to lower drug prices, and Senator Kelly has sinceadvocated for passing Medicare negotiation legislation by including it in the reconciliation package.
On Capitol Hill, Senate and House leadership along with President Biden are working to craft a reconciliation package that has the support of all Democratic members of Congress. The current House version of the package includes H.R. 3, a comprehensive bill that allows Medicare to negotiate lower prices. Senate leaders are also currently drafting legislation that will allow Medicare to negotiate, which would deliver on the president’s Build Back Better plan under rules of reconciliation.
Patients For Affordable Drugs Now is also continuing to run two nationaladsthat combat Big Pharma’s lies and scare tactics. These ads are part of a seven-figure campaign that includes digital ads running across a variety of websites and news outlets and congressional outreach, where patient advocates are contacting their members of Congress to demand passage of legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate. P4ADNow’s recent ads can be found here.
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Spooky season is here, and it looks like PhRMA is dressing up as patient groups this year.
Welcome to the Week in Review.
1. What Do We Want? Medicare Negotiation.
On Monday, 160 P4ADNow patient advocates leading the fight for lower drug prices sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi expressing strong support for the inclusion of comprehensive Medicare negotiation in the reconciliation package. Americans are united on this issue; new polls show that allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices is Americans’ top priority across both the infrastructure and social spending packages, and that 9 out of 10 Americans believe negotiation will increase access to medications. We can’t be more clear: Let Medicare negotiate now! — (Common Dreams, Politico/Harvard, West Health)
2. Rep. Peters, Stand With Patients
In a new op-ed, P4ADNow founder David Mitchell explains how Medicare negotiation will actually drive innovation and why Rep. Peters’ (CA-52) alternate bill won’t help patients or meaningfully lower drug prices. “If he wants to avoid being contradicted about his claims, he must vote in the interest of patients in his community, not as a tool of Big Pharma,” Mitchell writes. SanDiegans concur: Negotiation will improve access to drugs instead of hindering innovation. Rep. Peters, protect patients and your constituents — not corporate interests. — (Times of San Diego)
3.Lies, Lies, Lies
The drug industry lobby and its front groups continue to flood the airwaves with misleading ads, having spent at least $23.7 million on ad campaigns fighting drug pricing reforms since the summer. A recent ad from the 60 Plus Association claiming that Democrats want to “swipe $500 billion from Medicare” was rated “False” in a PolitiFact examination. A Roll Call investigation reveals that the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, which has spent over $5 million on ads opposing Medicare negotiation, is an astroturf group funded by PhRMA. Don’t fall for the lies — with negotiation, patients will finally get the innovation we need at prices we can afford. — (PolitiFact, Roll Call, Center for Health Journalism)
4. Why They Want To Maintain The Status Quo
P4ADNow released a new data set this week revealing that drug company CEOs opposing Medicare negotiation earned an average compensation of $12.5 million in 2020 — 185 times the income of the average American household and 420 times the income of the average Medicare beneficiary. While these CEOs are profiting off the backs of Americans, millions of patients across the country have personalstoriesabout how they have been harmed by high drug prices. Drug companies are fighting to keep using Americans as their piggy bank, but we won’t stand for it any longer. — (P4ADNow)
5. Because They Can
Americans pay more for the top 20 best-selling drugs than the rest of the world combined, according to a Public Citizen analysis. U.S. sales made up 64 percent of a combined revenue of $101 billion in 2020. Drug companies charge Americans vastly more because Medicare isn’t allowed to negotiate prices. It’s time that changed. — (Axios)
Bonus: Three More Things!
On Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee completed its markup of four bills that would crack down on the drug industry’s patent abuses. We look forward to making sure both patent reform and Medicare negotiation are passed into law this year.
P4ADNow founder David Mitchell spoke to the San Francisco Business Times about the tough decisions patients have to make to afford expensive gene therapies and the need to lower list prices.
Letters and op-eds keep rolling in from Americans passionate about achieving drug pricing reform this year. Constituentsareurgingtheircongressionalmembers to support Medicare negotiation, and electedofficials and health advocacy leaders are adding their voices to the chorus. High drug prices, which disproportionately affect communities of color, must also be addressed at the state level through measures such as prescription drug affordability boards, writes Colorado patient advocate Kris Garcia.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following statement was issued by Sarah Kaminer Bourland, the legislative director of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, following the House Judiciary Committee’s markup of four bills that would crack down on the drug industry’s patent abuses and promote competition in the pharmaceutical market:
“Drug companies are abusing our patent system to protect their profits and extend monopolies beyond what the law intended. These anti-competitive tactics undermine innovation and force patients to pay higher prices for longer periods of time.
“While Medicare negotiation is the cornerstone of comprehensive drug pricing reform, we applaud the House Judiciary Committee for advancing these bipartisan bills that are critical to restoring balance in our system and curbing practices such as product hopping, pay-for-delay deals, frivolous citizen petitions, and patent thicketing. Patients deserve both Medicare negotiation and patent reform, and we look forward to making sure they’re passed into law this year.”
Background:
Today, the House Judiciary Committee completed its markup and voted the following bipartisan bills favorably out of committee:
Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Through Promoting Competition Act of 2021 (H.R. 2873), led by Reps. Cicilline (D-RI), Buck (R-CO), Nadler (D-NY), and Maloney (D-NY), prohibits product hopping.
Stop Stalling Access to Affordable Medications Act (H.R. 2883), led by Reps. Jeffries (D-NY), Buck (R-CO), Nadler (D-NY), Cicilline (D-RI), and Maloney (D-NY), bans pharmaceutical companies from submitting sham citizen petitions to the FDA to delay the approval of generic competitors. The Senate companion bill, S. 1425, was unanimously voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee in July.
Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Through Improvements to Patent Litigation Act (H.R. 2884), led by Reps. Johnson (D-GA) and Issa (R-CA), streamlines the process for biosimilar approval and disincentives patent thickets by the manufacturers of expensive biologic drugs.
Preserve Access to Affordable Generics and Biosimilars Act (H.R. 2891), led by Reps. Nadler (D-NY), Buck (R-CO), Cicilline (D-RI), and Maloney (D-NY), bans anticompetitive pay-for-delay deals that impede introduction of affordable generics. The Senate companion bill, S. 1428, was unanimously voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee in July.
This markup follows the House Ways and Means Committee’s recent voteto advance H.R. 3, a comprehensive bill that allows Medicare to negotiate lower prices, as part of the reconciliation package. The Senate Finance Committee is also currently drafting legislation that will allow Medicare to negotiate, which would deliver on the president’s Build Back Better plan under rules of reconciliation.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to a recent letter to Congress penned by executives from 33 pharmaceutical corporations opposing Medicare negotiation to lower the prices of drugs, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now released a new data set exposing Big Pharma executives’ outrageous paychecks on the backs of American patients. The new data shows that total compensation for Big Pharma CEOs totalled $400 million, the average compensation for Big Pharma CEOs in 2020 was $12.5 million, or 185 times that of the average American household and 420 times the income of Medicare beneficiaries. The report also shows that 19 of 33 companies are based in foreign countries, where they charge less than half what they charge Americans for the same drugs.
The PhRMA letter, filled with false claims about the impact of negotiation, asks Congress to let multinational drug corporations continue to have the power to dictate prices of brand-name drugs in America. They want U.S. citizens to continue supplying almost half of their revenue, underwriting the lion’s share of their compensation. It’s no wonder these CEOs are desperate to block reforms to the system in which American patients and taxpayers shoulder a huge and disproportionate burden. Collectively, the CEOs were paid $400 million last year.
“These multi-millionaire Big Pharma CEOs are tone-deaf. They are literally telling Congress that it should continue to allow them the power to continue to exploit the American people by raising prices ever higher at will,” said David Mitchell, a patient with incurable blood cancer whose drugs carry a list price of more than $900,000 per year and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “They want Americans to be their piggy bank to fund unjustified profits and lavish compensation packages. And this comes from companies of which more than half are foreign-based, and that charge far lower prices in their countries abroad.”
The data set was prepared for and issued on behalf of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, a community of more than 360,000 patients and allies. It was also distributed to congressional offices today.
Meanwhile, the House Ways And Means Committee recently voted to advance H.R. 3, a comprehensive bill that allows Medicare to negotiate lower prices, as part of the reconciliation package. The Senate Finance Committee is also currently drafting legislation that will allow Medicare to negotiate, which would deliver on the president’s Build Back Better plan under rules of reconciliation.
