WASHINGTON, D.C. — Patients For Affordable Drugs Now today announced the launch of a campaign aimed at members of the House of Representatives who are threatening to block Medicare negotiation bill H.R. 3, calling on them to support the legislation that would lower drug prices for Americans. The new six-figure push begins on July 2 and includes TV ads, digital ads, and grassroots advocacy, in which patients will write and call their members of Congress directly asking them to support plans to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices — a policy supported by 90 percent of Americans. The new campaign will address Reps. David Valadao (CA-21), Scott Peters (CA-52), Richard Hudson (NC-08), and Kurt Schrader (OR-05), all of whom have refused to endorse H.R. 3.
“Reps. Valadao, Peters, Hudson, and Schrader have a choice — they can continue to do the bidding of Big Pharma, or they can stand with patients by supporting Medicare negotiation and H.R. 3,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “Right now, it’s clear that the congressmen are choosing Big Pharma’s interests over the well-being of patients. As Therese Ball, a multiple sclerosis patient, says in the ad, ‘It’s unforgivable.’ Each of these elected officials can still do the right thing by endorsing H.R. 3, which will deliver the innovation we need at prices we can afford.”
All four members of Congress have refused to support H.R. 3, a bill that would allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices:
The campaign kicks off with ads featuring multiple sclerosis patient and registered nurse Therese Ball from Ogden Dunes, Indiana. To manage her symptoms, Ball is prescribed Tysabri, which is priced at $7,463 each month.
“As a nurse, I had patients who struggled to pay for their prescription drugs. When I was diagnosed with MS, I became one, too. The medications I need to live are priced at over $7,000 a month,” Ball, a grandmother and retired nurse, says in the video ads. “Members of Congress are choosing Big Pharma over patients. It’s unforgivable.”
Watch the ad for Rep. David Valadao (CA-21) here.
Watch the ad for Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52) here.
Watch the ad for Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-08) here.
Watch the ad for Rep. Kurt Schrader (OR-05) here.
P4ADNow launched its first campaign directed towards the 117th Congress on May 20. That campaign had a seven-figure budget and called for support of H.R. 3 in 42 House districts across 22 states and in D.C. It expanded this week, adding two more House districts. The campaign is, in part, a counterweight to Big Pharma’s attack ads loaded with lies about H.R. 3 and includes video ads, digital ads, and grassroots advocacy.
H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, was reintroducedin the House of Representatives in April. The chamber passed the bill in the 116th Congress. It will lower prices, rein in price gouging, and reduce out-of-pocket costs by restoring balance to the U.S. drug pricing system to ensure both innovation and affordability.
###
COLORADO — The following statement was issued today by David Mitchell, a cancer patient and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now:
“We want to thank Senator Bennet’s office for the opportunity to have a conversation today, during which we clarified his position on drug price legislation. We received strong assurances of Senator Bennet’s continued commitment to fighting for a strong Senate Finance Committee drug pricing bill that will include an effective approach to Medicare negotiation that will lower prices and reduce out-of-pocket costs for patients and all Americans. As a result, we are suspending advertising and other activities in Colorado that were announced today. We regret any misunderstandings on our part, and we look forward to working with Senator Bennet and his office to achieve our mutual goals in the weeks and months ahead.”
###
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Patients For Affordable Drugs Now announced the launch of a campaign encouraging members of the Senate Finance Committee to support legislation to lower drug prices by allowing Medicare negotiation. The new six-figure push will begin on July 2 and includes TV ads, digital ads, and grassroots advocacy, in which patients will write and call their senators directly. The Senate campaign addresses Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ).
“As the Senate Finance Committee develops detailed legislative proposals built on the excellent principles promulgated by Chairman Wyden, it’s critical for Senators Carper and Menendez to bear in mind that 90 percent of Americans support Medicare negotiation to lower drug prices,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “Patients are depending on these senators to join with other supporters of meaningful reform and insist on strong legislation that will lower drug prices and deliver savings for Medicare beneficiaries and all Americans.”
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden recently released his guiding principles for drug pricing reform. It is expected that the Finance Committee’s bill will be considered for inclusion in the Democrats’ reconciliation budget package later this year.
The campaign includes new video ads featuring multiple sclerosis patient and registered nurse Therese Ball from Ogden Dunes, Indiana. To manage her symptoms, Ball is prescribed Tysabri, which is priced at $7,463 each month.
“As a nurse, I had patients who struggled to pay for their prescription drugs. When I was diagnosed with MS, I became one, too. The medications I need to live are priced at over $7,000 every month,” Ball, a grandmother and retired nurse, says in the video ads. “I can’t afford these prices. I had to ration and skip doses.”
The ads urge each senator to support legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate prices. “Patients need this reform, and we need his support,” the ads say.
Watch the ad for Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) here.
Watch the ad for Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) here.
This campaign marks the launch of P4ADNow’s outreach to senators in the 117th Congress. It complements the patient advocacy group’s House campaign to support H.R. 3 first launched on May 20 with a seven-figure budget to 42 House districts across 22 states and in D.C, which then expanded to add two more House districts. This campaign is, in part, a counterweight to Big Pharma’s attack ads loaded with lies about H.R. 3 and included video ads, digital ads, and grassroots advocacy.
###
NEW YORK — Patients For Affordable Drugs Now announced it will extend its campaign thanking Reps. Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) and Antonio Delgado (NY-19) for supporting H.R. 3 and calling on Rep. Kathleen Rice (NY-04) to support the bill that would lower drug prices by allowing Medicare to negotiate on behalf of New Yorkers. The new phase of the campaign will start July 2 and will include digital ads as well as grassroots advocacy, in which constituents will directly contact Reps. Maloney, Delgado, and Rice to ask them to stand with patients against Big Pharma.
“H.R. 3 will ensure New Yorkers have access to affordable medicine while protecting innovation for the future,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “Patients need Rep. Rice to stand up to Big Pharma and join Reps. Maloney and Delgado in pushing for this important legislation to lower the price of prescription drugs for Americans.”
The following digital ad will run in NY-18 to thank Rep. Maloney for standing with patients and to remind him to push for passage of H.R. 3.
The following digital ad will run in NY-04 to urge Rep. Rice to stand with patients and push for passage of H.R. 3.
P4ADNow’s campaign to support H.R. 3 was first launched on May 20 on the heels of Big Pharma’s attack ads loaded with lies, pressuring members of Congress not to support H.R. 3.
H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, was reintroducedin the House of Representatives in April. The chamber passed the bill in the 116th Congress. It will lower prices, rein in price gouging, and reduce out-of-pocket costs by restoring balance to the U.S. drug pricing system to ensure both innovation and affordability.
The New York campaign is part of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now’s national campaign across 44 House districts.
###
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Patients For Affordable Drugs Now announced it will extend and expand its campaign calling on members of Congress to support H.R. 3, a bill that would lower drug prices by allowing Medicare negotiation. The new six-figure push will start on July 2 in 38 House districts, and will include TV ads, digital ads, and grassroots advocacy, in which patients will write and call their members of Congress directly.
“Momentum to pass legislation allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for Americans continues to grow in Washington and across the country,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “It’s time for the House to advance H.R. 3 and deliver the relief that 9 out of 10 Americans support.”
The new phase will continue efforts in 36 House districts and will launch for the first time in Minnesota’s second district and Washington’s eighth district. The campaign thanks members of Congress who support H.R. 3 and encourages other members to join their colleagues in support of the bill.
The expanded push will include new video ads highlighting Steven Hadfield, a patient from Charlotte, North Carolina, who lives with a rare blood cancer and is prescribed a medication priced at $132,000 a year.
“I’ve been fighting it for seven years,” Steven says in the ads playing on digital platforms. “$132,000. That’s the annual price for my cancer medication. I live in fear over my high drug prices. You wonder how everybody else survives.”
Watch an example of the full video ad here.
P4ADNow’s campaign to support H.R. 3 was first launched on May 20 with a seven-figure budget, running in 42 House districts across 22 states and in D.C. It included a video ad highlighting patient advocate Marcus LaCour that ran on TV and digital platforms, as well as direct grassroots advocacy where patients have reached out to members of Congress.
The campaign pushes back against Big Pharma’s attack ads loaded with liesabout H.R. 3.
H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, was reintroducedin the House of Representatives in April. The chamber passed the bill in the 116th Congress. It will lower prices, rein in price gouging, and reduce out-of-pocket costs by restoring balance to the U.S. drug pricing system to ensure both innovation and affordability.
Districts where campaign is extending and expanding (* indicates new ads launching):
###
NEW JERSEY — Patients For Affordable Drugs Now announced it will extend its campaign thanking Reps. Andy Kim (NJ-03), Tom Malinowski (NJ-07), and Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) for supporting H.R. 3, and calling on Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05) to support the bill that would lower drug prices by allowing Medicare to negotiate on behalf of New Jerseyans. The new phase of the campaign will start July 2 and will include digital video ads as well as grassroots advocacy, in which constituents will directly contact Reps. Kim, Malinowski, Sherrill, and Gottheimer to ask them to stand with patients against Big Pharma.
“H.R. 3 will ensure New Jerseyans have access to affordable medicine while protecting innovation for the future,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “Patients need Rep. Gottheimer to stand up to Big Pharma and join Reps. Kim, Malinowski, and Sherrill in pushing for this important legislation to lower the price of prescription drugs for Americans.”
The expanded push will include new video ads highlighting Steven Hadfield, a patient from Charlotte, North Carolina, who lives with a rare blood cancer and is prescribed a medication priced at $132,000 a year. The ads thank Reps. Kim and Malinowski for supporting H.R. 3 and urge constituents to ask them to keep fighting for lower drug prices.
“I’ve been fighting it for seven years,” Steven says in the ads playing on digital platforms. “$132,000. That’s the annual price for my cancer medication. I live in fear over my high drug prices. You wonder how everybody else survives.”
You can watch the video ad in NJ-03 here.
You can watch the video ad in NJ-07 here.
The following digital ad will run in NJ-11 to thank Rep. Sherrill for standing with patients and to remind her to push for passage of H.R. 3.
The following digital ad will run in NJ-05 to urge Rep. Gottheimer to stand with patients and push for passage of H.R. 3.
P4ADNow’s campaign to support H.R. 3 was first launched on May 20 on the heels of Big Pharma’s attack ads loaded with lies, pressuring members of Congress not to support H.R. 3.
H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, was reintroduced in the House of Representatives in April. The chamber passed the bill in the 116th Congress. It will lower prices, rein in price gouging, and reduce out-of-pocket costs by restoring balance to the U.S. drug pricing system to ensure both innovation and affordability.
The New Jersey campaign is part of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now’s national campaign across 44 House districts.
###
GEORGIA — Patients For Affordable Drugs Now announced it will extend its campaign thanking Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux (GA-07) for supporting H.R. 3, a bill that would lower drug prices by allowing Medicare to negotiate on behalf of Georgians. The new phase of the campaign will start July 2 and will include digital video ads as well as grassroots advocacy, in which patients will contact Rep. Bourdeaux directly to thank her for standing with patients against Big Pharma.
“H.R. 3 will ensure Georgians have access to affordable medicine while protecting innovation for the future,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “On behalf of patients, we thank Rep. Bourdeaux for standing up to Big Pharma and fighting to pass this important legislation to lower the price of prescription drugs.”
The expanded push will include a new video ad highlighting Steven Hadfield, a patient from Charlotte, North Carolina, who lives with a rare blood cancer and is prescribed a medication priced at $132,000 a year. The ad thanks Rep. Bourdeaux for supporting H.R. 3 and urges constituents to ask her to keep fighting for lower drug prices.
“I’ve been fighting it for seven years,” Steven says in the ad playing on digital platforms. “$132,000. That’s the annual price for my cancer medication. I live in fear over my high drug prices. You wonder how everybody else survives.”
You can watch the ad here.
P4ADNow’s campaign to support H.R. 3 was first launched on May 20 on the heels of Big Pharma’s attack ads loaded with lies, pressuring members of Congress not to support H.R. 3.
H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, was reintroducedin the House of Representatives in April. The chamber passed the bill in the 116th Congress. It will lower prices, rein in price gouging, and reduce out-of-pocket costs by restoring balance to the U.S. drug pricing system to ensure both innovation and affordability.
The Georgia campaign is part of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now’s national campaign across 44 House districts.
###
KANSAS — Patients For Affordable Drugs Now announced it will extend its campaign thanking Rep. Sharice Davids (KS-03) for supporting H.R. 3, a bill that would lower drug prices by allowing Medicare to negotiate on behalf of Kansans. The new phase of the campaign will start July 2 and will include digital video ads as well as grassroots advocacy, in which patients will contact Rep. Davids directly to thank her for standing with patients against Big Pharma.
“H.R. 3 will ensure Kansans have access to affordable medicine while protecting innovation for the future,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “On behalf of patients, we thank Rep. Davids for standing up to Big Pharma and fighting to pass this important legislation to lower the price of prescription drugs.”
The expanded push will include a new video ad highlighting Steven Hadfield, a patient from Charlotte, North Carolina, who lives with a rare blood cancer and is prescribed a medication priced at $132,000 a year. The ad thanks Rep. Davids for supporting H.R. 3 and urges constituents to ask her to keep fighting for lower drug prices.
“I’ve been fighting it for seven years,” Steven says in the ad playing on digital platforms. “$132,000. That’s the annual price for my cancer medication. I live in fear over my high drug prices. You wonder how everybody else survives.”
You can watch the ad here.
P4ADNow’s campaign to support H.R. 3 was first launched on May 20 on the heels of Big Pharma’s [http://]attack ads loaded with lies, pressuring members of Congress not to support H.R. 3.
H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, was reintroducedin the House of Representatives in April. The chamber passed the bill in the 116th Congress. It will lower prices, rein in price gouging, and reduce out-of-pocket costs by restoring balance to the U.S. drug pricing system to ensure both innovation and affordability.
The Kansas campaign is part of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now’s national campaign across 44 House districts.
###