AUGUSTA, Maine — In response to news that Gov. Janet Mills today signed a series of bills to hold drug corporations accountable for exorbitant price hikes and allow for the safe importation of prescription drugs from Canada, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now Executive Director Ben Wakana issued the following statement:
“This is a victory for Maine patients and taxpayers who are fed up with unrestrained drug prices. We applaud Governor Mills and the legislature for focusing on this issue, and we look forward to additional action next year to continue fixing our broken system and ensuring Mainers have access to lifesaving prescription drugs.”
BACKGROUND
Here’s how the signed legislation will benefit Mainers:
In advance of today’s bill signing, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now published a series of patient stories to underscore the urgency of the drug pricing crisis in Maine. Additionally, four patients testified at an April hearing, patients spoke out in the press, and Mainers were given the tools to contact their legislators in support of the proposed changes.
###
AUGUSTA, Maine — After a series of unanimous votes today, Maine senators advanced legislation that would hold drug corporations accountable for exorbitant price hikes and allow for the safe importation of prescription drugs from Canada. A package of bills aimed at lowering drug prices now moves to the House floor.
“Today’s vote shows that Mainers are taking charge in the fight to lower drug prices,” said Ben Wakana, Executive Director of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “We applaud consumer groups and the state legislature’s efforts to rein in drug prices, and we are proud patients are standing up against abusive pricing practices.”
In advance of today’s votes, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now published a series of patient stories to underscore the urgency of the drug pricing crisis in Maine. Additionally, four patients testified at an April hearing, and Mainers were given the tools to contact their legislators in support of the proposed changes.
Here’s how the pending legislation would benefit Mainers:
Patient Perspective:
Lori Dumont of Brewer: “My brother suffered ketoacidosis because he could not afford his insulin. Like so many others, his insulin costs were out of control. For both his long term and short term insulin he was paying about $1,500 a month. On a fixed income, high drug prices are literally a matter of life and death.”
Sabrina Burbeck of Old Town: “When my youngest son was 18 months old he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. In order to survive, he relies on Humalog Insulin. One vial of Humalog costs $350.”
Glenda Smith of Kennebunk: “My Symbicort, Lostatin, Spiriva, and other medications cost me more than $1,200/month, not to mention the $5,000 we have to pay out of pocket before insurance even begins to pay its portion. That is not realistic on our fixed income. My drug costs alone are more than my entire Social Security check.”
Christina Raymond of Limestone: “In order to manage my disease, I require several medications –– Lupron, Tamoxifen, and Neulasta –– in addition to my regular chemo treatments. Lupron costs me $1,500 per month and my Neulasta runs $6,000 per shot.”
###
AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine patients will urge legislators to hold drug corporations accountable for exorbitant price hikes and give the state power to negotiate lower prices during hearings today and Wednesday before the Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee. Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, a Washington, D.C.-based bipartisan patient advocacy organization that takes no money from the pharmaceutical industry, is helping patients share their drug pricing stories in Maine, sending four patients to testify at this week’s hearings on a package of bills to lower prescription drug prices. Patients For Affordable Drugs Now also published a series of patient stories on its website to underscore the urgency of the drug pricing crisis in Maine.
“Drug corporations have a direct line into Maine’s state coffers and patients’ pockets, and it’s time for the legislature to act,” said Ben Wakana, Executive Director of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “We’ve heard from nearly 250 Mainers who are suffering under relentless prescription drug price hikes. We applaud consumer groups and the state legislature’s efforts to rein in drug prices, and we are proud patients are standing up against abusive pricing practices.”
Here’s how the pending legislation would benefit Mainers:
Testifying at the hearings today and Wednesday are:
Lori Dumont of Brewer: “My brother suffered ketoacidosis because he could not afford his insulin. Like so many others, his insulin costs were out of control. For both his long term and short term insulin he was paying about $1,500 a month. On a fixed income, high drug prices are literally a matter of life and death.”
Sabrina Burbeck of Old Town: “When my youngest son was 18 months old he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. In order to survive, he relies on Humalog Insulin. One vial of Humalog costs $350.”
Glenda Smith of Kennebunk: “My Symbicort, Lostatin, Spiriva, and other medications cost me more than $1,200/month, not to mention the $5,000 we have to pay out of pocket before insurance even begins to pay its portion. That is not realistic on our fixed income. My drug costs alone are more than my entire Social Security check.”
Christina Raymond of Limestone: “In order to manage my disease, I require several medications –– Lupron, Tamoxifen, and Neulasta –– in addition to my regular chemo treatments. Lupron costs me $1,500 per month and my Neulasta runs $6,000 per shot.”
###
My name is Christina Raymond and I live in Limestone, ME. I was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago. I also have an autoimmune disease called Lupus, which makes managing both that and my cancer very difficult and extremely costly.
When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, I had no clue about the hurdles I would face when it came to affording the medications I need simply to live. In order to manage my disease, I require several medications –– Lupron, Tamoxifen, and Neulasta –– in addition to my regular chemo treatments. Lupron costs me $1,500 per month and my Neulasta runs $6,000 per shot.
In order to afford my medication, I have had to get quite resourceful. I was not able to get Lupron copay assistance and I therefore rely heavily on grants. The process is quite daunting, but it must be done in order for me to survive. First, I must secure a grant to assist me with the costs. Once the medication is paid for, I then have to get approval from the hospital to administer it to me. Once approved, then I can finally get the treatment I need. The process of finding a way to afford my treatment takes as much of a toll on my health and wellbeing as the cancer I am fighting. Medicine does no good if people cannot afford it.
Affordable medication is necessary for my survival. If my drugs were more affordable I would have a much easier time maintaining my health. I could pay my mortgage and provide for my family. The high costs put a lot of pressure on my husband, and since we are both on fixed incomes the stakes are very high. Prices must come down. It is a matter of life and death for patients like me.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Patients in Maine are celebrating the passage of a new law that would help Mainers understand why prescription drugs prices keep rising. Patients For Affordable Drugs NOW, a patient advocacy organization, applauded passage of the bill.
“My 5-year-old son, Dakota, needs insulin to live,” said Sabrina Burbeck, a single mom who lives in Old Town. “When drug corporations charge $200-a-vial for a drug invented in the 1920s, we should all worry and demand change. There is no justifiable reason that his insulin costs keep going up, and the fear of my son losing his life-saving medicine keeps me up at night.”
A bipartisan group of Maine state legislators passed LD 1406 in April. The legislation, which became law yesterday, allows the Maine Health Data Organization to gather information from drug corporations about their pricing practices and to report its findings to citizens in Maine.
Patients For Affordable Drugs Now is a bipartisan advocacy organization focused exclusively on policies to lower drug prices. To maintain its independence, P4ADNow does not accept funding from organizations that profit from the development or distribution of prescription drugs.
For Maine patient interviews, contact Juliana Keeping.
###