The 2021 Year in Review in Prescription Drug Pricing
Drug pricing was trending in 2021. Here’s a look back at patient advocacy wins and progress toward victories in the year to come.
Welcome to the Year in Review.
1. One-On-Ones With The White House
As the Biden administration worked with lawmakers to craft the reconciliation package, patients across the country brought their stories to the highest office in the land. They offered the president their support as he pushes to deliver on his commitment to lower drug prices. Patient advocates Gail deVore, Iesha Meza, and Sa’Ra Skipper, who all live with type 1 diabetes, metwithPresidentBiden at the White House to share their experiences with high insulin prices and discuss the urgent need to include drug pricing reforms in the legislation. Iesha also introduced the president ahead of his December remarks on how the Build Back Better Act will lower drug prices, and Gailfollowed up with Vice President Harris to talk about getting the bill across the finish line.
2. Fighting Pharma’s Falsehoods
The pharmaceutical industry and its front groups worked overtime in 2021 to spread misleading claims that drug pricing reforms will hurt patients, but the facts aren’t on their side. In response, P4AD released an innovation report and a video debunking pharma’s falsehoods that reforms would hinder innovation and explaining how we can have the innovation we need at prices we can afford. To refute unsubstantiated claims that drug price reforms will lead to reduced access to prescription drugs, P4ADNow launched a video and David Mitchell penned an op-ed emphasizing how lower drug prices will increase patient access to medications they need. Pricehikereports show that pharma raises prices at will, resulting in outrageous costs for patients, enormous profits for drug companies, and huge paydays for their executives. To highlight Big Pharma’s web of influence, P4AD released a report detailing how the financial and organizational relationships between drug companies and major patient groups constrain these groups from advocating for meaningful legislation to lower drug prices. Over and over again, independent factcheckers rated pharma and its allies’ claims as false. The truth is that patientsneedMedicarenegotiation now for real relief from high prices, and we must not fall for pharma’s fear-mongering.
3. Congressional Priority: Drug Pricing
This year, Congress is closer than it has been in nearly two decades to addressing high drug prices. Lawmakers wrapped up an investigation into pharmaceutical pricing practices and the House passed the Build Back Better Act including a hardfought compromise on drug pricing reforms. Patientsshared their stories at all of the congressional hearings held on drug pricing and utilized an advocacy hub launched by P4ADNow to voice how they have been harmed by high prescription drug prices. P4AD founder David Mitchell spokeathearings and press conferences about the urgent need for reforms. P4ADNow and influential organizations representing seniors, union workers, and patients ran ad campaigns urging Congress to seize the opportunity to help Americans by lowering drug prices. These groups, along with frontline Democrats, also sentletters to congressionalleadership and pennedop-eds pushing Congress and the White House to include drug pricing reform in the reconciliation package.
In the second year of the pandemic, drug companies pointed to the development of the COVID-19 vaccines as a reason why prices must be kept high — failing to tell the full story involving billions of dollars in government investment in vaccine research and development. P4AD’s David Mitchell penned a New York Times op-ed, Wall Street Journal letter, and blog post that lays out how the government and taxpayersunderwrote the risk while drug companies now stand to shatter sales records and collect billions of dollars from the vaccines. “To all those drug corporations and executives making billions from those of us paying the bills,” Mitchell writes, “You’re welcome.”
Welcome to the Week in Review.
1. New Ads: “Patients Can’t Wait Any Longer”
P4ADNow launched two new ads this week in Arizona and West Virginia pushing for passageof the Build Back Better Act. The Arizona TV adfeatures two Arizona patients, Phoenix advocate Iesha Meza and Tucson advocate Brenda Dickason and calls on Senator Sinema to vote for the Build Back Better Act to lower prescription drug prices. The West Virginia radio ad highlights Senator Joe Manchin’s commitment to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for West Virginians, and asks him to pass the Build Back Better Act, especially as Americans are facing higherprices for everything right now. “Senator Manchin supports Medicare negotiation – and to get it done, we’re counting on him to pass the Build Back Better Act,” the ad says. “West Virginia patients can’t wait any longer.”— (P4ADNow, P4ADNow)
2. Letter To The Senate
AARP and P4ADNow sent a letter to the Senate this week calling for the swift passage of Build Back Better and emphasizing the importance of rejecting any amendments that would weaken the drug pricing provisions. “Reducing drug prices is not an afterthought for the American people: It is the single most popular element of the Build Back Better plan,” the letter reads. “If prices for other products rose at the same rate as prescription drugs [over the past 15 years], a gallon of milk would now cost $13, and a gallon of gas would cost $12.20.” — (P4ADNow)
3. “I’m Tired,” Mr. President
The White House released a video highlighting Sa’Ra Skipper, from Indianapolis, who met with President Biden last week. Both Sa’Ra and her younger sister were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at a young age. In college, they began sharing and rationing their insulin in order to be able to afford it. After rationing a dose in 2018, Sa’Ra’s sister nearly slipped into a coma because of diabetic ketoacidosis. “I’m tired,” Sa’Ra tells the president in the video. “I’m 26 years old, and I just feel like I haven’t been able to live my life or enjoy it.” the president replies, “It’s wrong…with your help, we’re going to get it done,” referring to the Build Back Better Act. — (@POTUS)
4. How Will BBB Help Patients
P4ADNow’s David Mitchell penned an op-ed in Morning Consult that breaks down how the Build Back Better Act will lower drug prices and deliver relief to Americans who struggle to afford essential medicines. The importance of this historic legislation was emphasized by the House Oversight Committee’s recent report that identifies the need for structural reforms. Mitchell warns that Big Pharma’s fearmongering about this legislation is complete hogwash, and calls on the Senate to follow the House’s lead and resist efforts by the industry to weaken the bill in any way and swiftly pass it intact. “Millions of American lives depend on it.” — (Morning Consult)
5. Americans Rally Around BBB
Patients, community members, leaders, and elected officials in Arizona, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, WestVirginia, and more are calling on Congress to pass the Build Back Better Act to lower drug prices now. “It is time for action,” said Clayton, whose daughter depends on insulin. “I urge them to stop procrastinating & think about their constituents,” Iesha, who lives with Type 1 diabetes, said of the Senate. “Now is his moment to deliver on his commitment by voting for the Build Back Better Act with the included drug pricing reforms,” Laurie of West Virginia writes of Senator Manchin in a letter to the editor. “We have the answer, we have the bill,” says Senator Merkley. Pass BBB now. — (TapInto, Dominion Post, Exponent Telegram, Spectrum News, Record Courier, Senior Spectrum, Chief News, Spectrum News)
Happy holidays from all of us at P4ADNow! Welcome to the Week in Review.
1. Patients Take Stories To The White House
Three patient advocates living with type 1 diabetes shared their stories directly with President Biden and Vice President Harris this week. IeshaMeza, from Phoenix, shared her experiences with high insulin prices and introduced the president ahead of his speech on the drug pricing reforms in the reconciliation package. Sa’RaSkipper, from Indianapolis, also met with President Biden, who went on to mention her story in his speech. The White House also released a video of Gail deVore, a patient advocate from Denver who previously met with the president, speaking with the vice president about the need for Congress to pass the Build Back Better Act to lower drug prices for patients. We are so thankful for all patients speaking out and working tirelessly to pass Build Back Better. — (P4ADNow)
2. This Is Why We Need Drug Pricing Reforms
On Friday, P4AD founder David Mitchell spoke at a press conferencealongside congressional leaders and advocates, including Speaker Pelosi and House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Maloney, revealing the final findings of the committee’s three-year investigation into pharmaceutical pricing practices. The report draws into sharp focus the need for the drug pricing reforms in the Build Back Better Act. “When this bill is signed into law, it will mark a truly historic shift in U.S. policy and deliver long overdue relief to millions of Americans,” Mitchell said. “We are calling on the Senate to pass the legislation, resist efforts by Big Pharma that are still going on to weaken this bill in any way. Millions of American lives depend on it.” — (P4ADNow)
3.Loud And Clear
In a new poll from Morning Consult and Politico, voters from both sides of the aisle say that Medicare negotiation is one of the most important provisions in the Build Back Better Act, with over 40 percent of people naming it as one of their top five issues. Yet again, the polling is clear: Medicare negotiation for lower drug prices is a bipartisan priority for American voters. Now, it’s up to the Senate to deliver on Americans’ wishes. — (Morning Consult)
No Follies or Funny Things (Can) Happen on the Way to the Senate: Pass BBB and Merrily We (Will) Roll Along(RIP Sondheim). Welcome to the Week in Review.
1. Thank You!
On Tuesday, P4ADNow launched new ads thanking six frontline House Democrats for being champions of drug price provisions in the Build Back Better Act. The ads are running in TX-32, MN-02, NJ-03, NH-01, IL-14, and PA-07. In the months leading up to the House passage of the legislation, these representatives signedletters and pennedop-edscalling for the inclusion of Medicare negotiation in the reconciliation package. The ads feature Jackie, a cancer patient whose medication, Revlimid, carries a list price of over $20,000 each month. “On behalf of patients all across this country, we thank Reps. Allred, Craig, Kim, Pappas, Underwood, and Wild for fighting to ensure the inclusion of meaningful drug price reforms in the Build Back Better Act,” said P4ADNow founder David Mitchell. — (P4ADNow)
2. New Jersey Patients Can’t Wait
At a local event with House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Pallone, patient advocate Lisa Ann Trainor shared how high drug prices have affected her family and urged her senators to pass the Build Back Better Act with its current drug pricing reforms. “New Jerseyans like me need you to fight for the thousands of us affected by the unaffordable price of our prescription drugs,” Lisa said. “So many New Jerseyans are suffering right now. We don’t have time to wait.” — (InsiderNJ)
3.Congress, We’re Counting On You
As the Build Back Better Act and its drug pricing provisions await a Senate vote, advocacy groups, patients, editorialboards, andAmericansacross the country are united in calling for its swift passage to lower drug prices for patients. The issue is urgent — a new study found that in the years prior to the pandemic, nearly 13 million patients delayed filling or went without prescription medications due to high prices. “There have been times where I could not afford to carry an EpiPen and ended up hospitalized with anaphylactic shock after being exposed to latex,” writesBrenda Dickason, a small business owner and former police detective who lives with asthma and multiple allergies. “As an Arizonan, I am calling on Sen. Sinema to reject Big Pharma’s misinformation and stand firm in her commitment to delivering the drug pricing reforms, as written, in the Build Back Better Act.” — (The Washington Post, Bloomberg, Arizona Daily Star, Star Tribune, The Record-Courier, The Plain Dealer, Urban Institute)
Yesterday, the House Built Back Better. Welcome to the Week in Review.
1. A Historic Milestone
The House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act yesterday, including reforms that are a historic step toward resetting a broken drug pricing system and lowering prices for Americans. If passed into law, the landmark legislation would allow Medicare to negotiate lower prices for the most expensive drugs for the very first time. “On behalf of patients, we urge the Senate to move swiftly to pass the Build Back Better Act with the current drug pricing legislation intact, and to resist efforts by Big Pharma to weaken it in any way,” said P4ADNow’s David Mitchell. Americans can’twaitanylonger for relief from high drug prices. — (STAT)
2. We Saved Ourselves
This week, P4AD released a video and a fact sheet telling the true origin story of the COVID-19 vaccines. Taxpayers funded years of research into vaccine technology prior to the pandemic and spent billions of dollars developing, manufacturing, and purchasing the vaccines after the pandemic hit. Drug companies took the money and are now set to break records on drug sales, and AstraZeneca announced that it will transition to for-profit pricing. “The moral of the story? Pharma did its job, but it didn’t save us,” the animated video says. “We taxpayers saved ourselves.” — (P4ADNow)
3.Raising Prices, Just Because
A new report from the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review identified seven costly drugs, including the best-selling medication Humira, that saw significant price hikes in 2020 without clinical justification. “These treatments have been on the market for many years, with scant evidence that they are any more effective … than when they cost far less.” Drug companies shouldn’t be able to price gouge patients and raise prices at will, forcing too many to choose between paying for their prescription drugs or their bills. It’s time to put a stop to pharma’s predatory pricing practices. — (Reuters)
4. The Savings Are Negligible
Semglee, an insulin biosimilar to Lantus that was approved earlier this year, is priced at $269 per vial — less than $20 lower than the price of Lantus. While the industry touted this change as an “affordable alternative” price, this is really just another example of how biosimilar drugs can still be priced out of reach for patients instead of providing significant savings. The entire pharmaceutical chain, which continues to exploit patients for maximum profits, is due for reform. — (Axios)
5. Lifting The Veil On Drug Prices
A new rule from the Biden administration requires insurance companies to report the highest-cost drugs to the government. The transparency measure, which will allow policymakers to identify ways to lower prices, is another step in the right direction toward building a more fair drug pricing system for the people it is supposed to serve: patients. — (FierceHealthcare)
One more thing: P4ADNow founder David Mitchell appeared on Inside America with Ghida Fakhry to discuss the popularity of drug pricing reforms like Medicare negotiation and the fight to get the legislation passed this year.
“Paid for by PhRMA.” ????????? Welcome to the Week in Review.
1. The Lies They Tell
In an op-ed for Business Insider, P4ADNow founder David Mitchell sets the record straight point-by-point on the false claims perpetuated by the pharma lobby and its front groups in fear-mongering ads. “Big Pharma may not have found a cure for my cancer, but it has perfected the science of twisting facts that it doesn’t like to scare patients like me into believing that lowering drug prices will bring us great harm,” Mitchell writes. “If Big Pharma spent more time working on innovative new drugs and less time protecting its power to dictate high prices, we’d get more of what we seek: innovation we need at prices we can afford.” — (Business Insider)
2. Americans Choose Medicare Negotiation
A new Kaiser Family Foundation survey shows that Americans don’t believe Big Pharma’s lies that Medicare negotiation will harm new drug development. In fact, an overwhelming majority support negotiation even after hearing Big Pharma’s fear-mongering arguments. Additional polls show that Americans believe Medicare negotiation is one of the top reasons to pass the Build Back Better plan, and in states like Arizona and New Jersey, 94 percent and 77 percent of voters, respectively, support the reform. We can save millions of lives now by passing legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices. Congress, let’s get it done. — (Kaiser Health News, Axios)
3.Pharma Puts A Price On Our Lives
P4ADNow patient advocate Hailey Adkisson, whose daughter was born with a rare form of childhood epilepsy and required a medication that cost $280,000 per course, spoke at an event with Senator Wyden last Friday about why Americans need Medicare negotiation now and the toll that high drug prices take on families. “Throughout this epilepsy journey, I have met many families who have had to make incredibly difficult decisions in order to avoid expensive medications,” Hailey said. “How do you say no to a potentially life-saving drug for your child?” — (The Portland Tribune)
4. A False Choice
Medicare negotiation would allow for both robust drug innovation and more affordable drugs to improve patient access, writes oncologist and health policy expert Ezekiel Emanuel in Politico, adding that proposed legislation would still result in more than 95 percent of new drugs coming to market. “This hardly constitutes the ‘end of innovation’ that drug companies and others ominously warn is inevitable with any price regulation,” Emanuel writes. “What it does mean is that tens of millions of Americans … might finally be able to afford to take the medications that could save their lives.” — (Politico)
Social media wasn’t working for six hours this week, much like our drug pricing system all the damn time.
Welcome to the Week in Review.
1. Congress, Arizona Patients Need Your Help
On Monday, P4ADNow launched a six-figure Arizona ad campaign featuring Phoenix patient Iesha Meza, who lives with type 1 diabetes, and calling on Congress to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices. “When you have diabetes, insulin is like water — without it, you’ll die. Now imagine if water cost $300 a vial,” Iesha says in the ad. “I had to ration my insulin, and it almost killed me.” Arizonapatients need Senators Sinemaand Kelly, who both madepledges on the campaign trail to lower drug prices, to vote for passage of Medicare negotiation legislation in the reconciliation package. — (P4ADNow)
2. “This Isn’t About Politics”
On Wednesday, P4ADNow followed up with another ad campaign urging five key House members — Reps. Correa(CA-46), Peters(CA-52), Gottheimer(NJ-05), Murphy(FL-07), and Rice(NY-04) — to support strong Medicare negotiation legislation. All five members voted for H.R. 3 in 2019, then flip-flopped and introduced an ineffective rival bill this year. P4ADNow’s David Mitchell explains that these members of Congress must “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.” The campaign’s TV ads feature Kris Garcia, who lives with multiple bleeding disorders and depends on infusions that cost nearly $40,000. P4ADNow also launched an ad thanking Rep. Golden(ME-02)for fighting to let Medicare negotiate lower prices and asking him to get the job done by voting for the Build Back Better Act. “For millions of Americans like me, this isn’t about politics,” Kris says. “This is about life and death.” — (P4ADNow)
3.Seniors See Through “Mediscare” Ads
PhRMA and its front groups are spending heavily on deceptive ads and mailers framing Medicare negotiation as Democratic plans to cut Medicare — but patients aren’t fooled. “Millions of dollars are being spent to deceive seniors into opposing these cost savings, by shadow groups with dirty tactics that don’t have to disclose their donors,” writes the editorial board of New Jersey’s Star-Ledger. “It’s a vivid, grotesque example of the distortions of our political system by big money.” The reality is that the vast majority of New Jersey seniors and Americans, regardless of political affiliation, support Medicare negotiation and believe lawmakers must act to address high drug prices this year. Americans aren’t buying Big Pharma’s lies anymore. — (Axios)
4. Debunking Pharma’s Patient Access Lie
The Kaiser Family Foundation published a fact check this week in response to the drug industry’s persistent lies that Medicare negotiation will “restrict access to medicines.” The truth: Proposed Medicare negotiation legislation would not allow the government to dictate access to drugs, and lower drug prices will actually improve patient access to medications. Don’t let drug industry propaganda get in the way of lowering drug prices for patients. — (Kaiser Family Foundation)
5. Taxpayers Fund Innovation
Merck’s antiviral drug, which may be effective in reducing risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19, was developed with $35 million in taxpayer funds. But while the government has already agreed to pay Merck $17.80 per pill once the drug gains emergency use authorization, researchers estimate that it only costs about $0.50 to manufacture each pill, even with a 10 percent profit margin. Like Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, which was 100 percent funded by taxpayers and has boosted three executives and investors into Forbes’ list of the 400 richest people in the United States, Merck’s antiviral drug is yet another example of pharma cashing out on government-funded innovation. — (Axios)
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.
