ANNAPOLIS, Md. — In response to news that Maryland’s law to create the nation’s first prescription drug affordability board will go into effect on July 1, 2019, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now Executive Director Ben Wakana issued the following statement:
“This is a huge victory for Maryland patients and taxpayers. We are asserting the power of citizens to push back against the abusive monopoly pricing of drug corporations, and this new law is a step toward the day when all taxpayers and patients can use their purchasing power to demand fair prices for the prescription drugs we need.”
BACKGROUND
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We finally know what a black hole looks like. Next black hole to face the cameras: justification for drug company price hikes.
1. Patients win
2. Counts for nothing
3. Do you like apples?
4. What a week in Washington
5. Walmart-ism
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Maryland legislature officially voted to create a groundbreaking Prescription Drug Affordability Board, an independent body with the authority to evaluate high-cost prescription drugs and set reasonable rates. The bill, HB 768, now moves to Gov. Larry Hogan’s desk, with a chance to set a model for the nation to make prescription drugs more affordable. Today, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now launched a new flight of digital ads that give residents tools to encourage Gov. Hogan to sign the bill into law.
P4ADNow, a bipartisan patient advocacy organization that takes no money from the pharmaceutical industry, earlier endorsed the legislation and ran an aggressive campaign to support the bill. Today’s new digital ads continue a 5-figure effort to support state partners, including AARP Maryland, NAACP, MedChi, and the Maryland Health Care For All Coalition.
“The state needs this board to push back against Big Pharma’s unaffordable prices,” said Maryland resident David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder and president of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “The status quo needs to change, and the Prescription Drug Affordability Board is a national model.”
The Prescription Drug Affordability Board bill, sponsored by Senator Katherine Klausmeier and Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk, would:
To date, thousands of Maryland residents have reached out to state lawmakers in support of the measure.
According to recent polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation, only 25 percent of Americans say they trust drug corporations to price their products fairly. Among Maryland voters, 78 percent favor creating a prescription drug affordability board in Maryland, according to a January Gonzales Poll by Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative.
Patient perspective
Stahis Panagides is a Marylander, Parkinson’s patient, and Medicare recipient whose life has been directly impacted by skyrocketing prescription drug prices.
“My doctor recently prescribed Rytary to mitigate my disease. But even with my robust Medicare plan, I am not able to afford the $400 monthly price tag on this drug. It’s heartbreaking to know that there’s a drug out there that could treat my symptoms, but I can’t access it because the price is just too high,” Stahis told Patients For Affordable Drugs Now.
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ANNAPOLIS, Md. — In a groundbreaking move, the Maryland House of Delegates voted 98-40 to create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board, an independent body with the authority to evaluate high-cost prescription drugs and set rates for state and local governments to pay. The bill, HB 768, now moves to the Maryland Senate Finance Committee with a chance to set a model for the nation and fundamentally reshape how states address skyrocketing prescription drug prices.
“Maryland residents have been sending letters and making calls to lawmakers in support of the state’s effort to get a better deal on prescription drugs,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “We all pay for Pharma’s unfettered greed, and Maryland residents are struggling to fill both the kitchen pantry and the medicine cabinet. The status quo needs to change, and the Prescription Drug Affordability Board can be a national model.”
The Prescription Drug Affordability Board bill, sponsored by Senator Katherine Klausmeier and Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk would:
In January, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now launched a five-figure campaign to give Maryland residents tools to contact their elected officials in support of measures to address rising drug prices. The interactive digital tools allow residents to contact their senators and representatives in support of the proposed changes. P4ADNow is working in support of the legislation along with partners including the Maryland Health Care For All Coalition, AARP Maryland, and the NAACP.
According to recent polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation, only 25 percent of Americans say they trust drug corporations to price their products fairly, down from 41 percent in 2008.
Patient Perspective
Stahis Panagides is a Marylander, Parkinson’s patient, and Medicare recipient whose life has been directly impacted by skyrocketing prescription drug prices.
“My doctor recently prescribed Rytary to mitigate my disease. But even with my robust Medicare plan, I am not able to afford the $400 monthly price tag on this drug. It’s heartbreaking to know that there’s a drug out there that could treat my symptoms, but I can’t access it because the price is just too high,” Stahis told Patients For Affordable Drugs Now.
Patients For Affordable Drugs Now is a bipartisan national patient organization focused exclusively on policies to lower drug prices. To maintain its independence, the group does not accept donations from organizations that profit from the development and distribution of prescription drugs.
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ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland lawmakers can take a stand today on one of the most important issues facing residents — rising prescription drug prices. Today, State House and Senate committees will hold hearings on proposed Prescription Drug Affordability Board legislation, HB 768 and SB 759. The measure would create an independent body with the authority to evaluate high-cost prescription drugs and set rates for Maryland residents to pay. Patients For Affordable Drugs Now today announced its endorsement of the legislation.
“Marylanders get it — Big Pharma sets prices that hurt patients and taxpayers,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “On behalf of the 4,500 Maryland residents in our community working to lower prescription drug prices, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now is proud to endorse this first-in-nation effort.”
The Prescription Drug Affordability Board bill, sponsored by Senator Katherine Klausmeier and Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk would:
According to recent polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation, only 25 percent of Americans say they trust drug corporations to price their products fairly, down from 41 percent in 2008.
Patients For Affordable Drugs Now is a bipartisan national patient organization focused exclusively on policies to lower drug prices. To maintain its independence, the group does not accept donations from organizations that profit from the development and distribution of prescription drugs.
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ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland is taking a strong stand on drug prices today with the introduction of SB1023, legislation to establish a drug cost commission and ensure Maryland residents pay fair prices for prescriptions. The legislation is strongly endorsed by Patients For Affordable Drugs NOW, a bipartisan national patient organization focused on policies to lower drug prices. Patients For Affordable Drugs NOW announced plans to educate, activate, and mobilize Maryland patients in support of the bill.
“The Maryland residents we hear from are tired of drug corporations raising prices without regard to the harm to patients and consumers,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and Maryland resident whose drugs cost $450,000 per year and the Founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs NOW. “The legislation introduced today would be a serious step forward toward helping millions of Marylanders by keeping drugs affordable. I urge the legislature to move quickly and enact this critical measure.”
P4ADNOW has collected hundreds of stories from the Appalachians to the Chesapeake Bay. The organization will create online tools that help patients contact elected officials in support of the bill, and it will amplify the voices of Maryland residents struggling under high drug prices to make elected officials see the heavy toll of high-priced drugs.
Among those residents is John Darby, 48, a married father of two with a rare blood cancer. For a decade, he’s relied on a daily injection to manage his illness. Its price is $5,200 per month.
“This is the only medication available at this time that keeps him healthy enough to work, be a father and stay alive,” said Helen Darby, his wife.
The bill would:
A partner bill, HB1194, is expected to be introduced March 6.
Patients For Affordable Drugs NOW does not accept donations from organizations that profit from the development or distribution of prescription drugs.
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