We are looking ahead with hope for 2021: For speedy access to a COVID-19 vaccine for every American — and for lower drug prices. Welcome to the Week In Review.
1. Disputing a Double Charge
Drug corporations have historically been unwilling to invest money in risky research on vaccines, so when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, governments around the world stepped up to finance the research and development of COVID-19 vaccines. Now Big Pharma is cashing in with vaccine prices that will yield huge profits. — (BBC)
2. We’re Saving Ourselves
Pharma is using the COVID-19 vaccine successes to try to rehabilitate its image — hoping the much-needed success will erase years of abuse of patients and consumers. But the vaccines are actually built on years of research by government and university scientists. Having received public support every step of the way, drug corporations shouldn’t be allowed to set prices and claim patent rights that put private profits ahead of public health. — (The New York Times)
3. Bipartisan Calls For Action
Two longtime members of Congress reasserted their commitments to fight for affordable prescription drugs. Rep. Doggett (D-TX) published an op-ed this week calling for Congress and the incoming administration to take action to ensure that access to the COVID-19 vaccines is not impeded by high prices and patent rights. Senator Grassley (R-IA) expressed his hope to work with President-elect Biden to advance bipartisan legislation to bring relief to millions of Americans suffering from high drug prices. We couldn’t agree more — if Democrats and Republicans can work together, 2021 could be a big year for drug pricing reform. — (USA Today, The Gazette)
4. What a Coincidence
The arthritis drug baricitinib was granted an emergency use authorization by the FDA as a part of a COVID-19 treatment regimen with Gilead’s remdesivir. But some doctors are concerned that the drug — at a price of about $1,500 per patient — is too expensive to reasonably prescribe. Earlier this year, Eli Lilly increased the price of its brand-name version of baricitinib, Olumiant, just five days before the Lancet published an articlesuggesting its use for COVID-19. Frankly, none of the companies are showing pricing restraint in light of the pandemic. They are just maximizing profits as usual. — (The New York Times)
5. More Patient Assistance Ploys
Pharmaceutical corporation Biogen will pay $22 million to settle a case with the U.S. Justice Department that charged the company with paying kickbacks disguised as charity to the Medicare program. Biogen is just the latest company to fall under scrutiny for the practice — Regeneron and Teva both faced cases for the same kind of violation earlier this year. Instead of violating federal law, drug companies could make their drugs accessible by… lowering their prices — (Reuters)
We hope drug prices are lowered… for evermore. Welcome to the Week In Review.
1. Business as Usual
For nearly a year now, Americans have been dealing with the unyielding spread of COVID-19, with many losing jobs, savings, and health insurance in the process. And yet, pharma has continued to raise prices on over 1,000 critical medications in this year alone, including over 200 price hikes since July. The new administration and Congress must lower drug prices and hold pharma accountable for their exploitative behavior. — (P4AD)
2.A Half Billion To Keep Power
Last year, the lobby group PhRMA spent over $500 million to maintain the rigged drug pricing system that benefits drug corporations while patients suffer. We don’t have $500 million to counter that spending, but we have something more powerful — the stories of thousands of Americans demanding change and relief from the high drug prices PhRMA members set. — (Center for Responsive Politics)
3. A Vacation Package… to the Pharmacy
Another byproduct of skyrocketing drug prices: Self-insured companies are finding it is cheaper to fly their employees who take expensive medications to Mexico to purchase their prescriptions, instead of paying for the medications via their health care plans. Do we need any more evidence that our rigged drug pricing system is failing Americans? — (NBC San Diego)
4. We’re Disadvantaging Ourselves
A new study from the Commonwealth Fund found that 50 percent of lower-income U.S. adults have been unable to access prescription drugs or medical care in the past year due to high costs — that’s compared to 24 percent or less in other wealthy countries. One of the differences between the U.S. and those countries? We don’t allow our government to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices. The evidence is clear — Medicare must be allowed to negotiate. — (Axios)
5. Flooding Our Airwaves
In November, pharmaceutical corporations beat their record for monthly spending on TV drug advertising, spending a whopping $204 million to promote blockbuster drugs. Big Pharma wants us to believe they cannot lower drug prices, but the truth is clear — drug pricing is all about their bottomline. — (FiercePharma)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following statement was issued today by David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, on the nomination of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra for U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services:
“President-elect Biden’s choice of Xavier Becerra for Secretary of HHS is good news for patients and the fight for lower drug prices. We have seen his effectiveness firsthand while working with his office to enact the groundbreaking law AB 824 in California, which curbs anti-competitive pay-for-delay deals that block cheaper generic competition. He has led fights to stop drug company price gouging and to lower prices through greater transparency and regulation of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). During his time as attorney general and in the U.S. Congress, Becerra has demonstrated his understanding of America’s rigged drug pricing system and his commitment to achieving reforms to fix it. We support his nomination and look forward to working together in the interests of patients and all Americans.”
BACKGROUND:
As attorney general of California, Xavier Becerra sponsored and passed into law AB 824, which bans collusive pay-for-delay deals and promotes generic drug competition.
Becerra has successfully defended the legislation in court, warding off multiple industry legal challenges.
Becerra worked with Patients For Affordable Drugs Now to elevatepatientstories in support of the first-in-the-nation legislation.
Becerra has led multiple coalitions of state attorneys general calling for the regulation of pharmacy benefit managers to increase transparency and improve drug affordability.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Becerra urged the federal government to make Gilead’s COVID-19 drug remdesivir more affordable because it was developed using taxpayer funding.
During his 24 years in the House prior to serving as attorney general, Becerra co-sponsored multiple billsthatwouldallowMedicare to negotiate for lower drug prices.
As chair of the House Democratic Caucus, Becerra formed a task force “to examine the rising cost of prescription drugs” in 2016.
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Welcome to the Week In Review.
1. Fight for Equity
Civil rights leaders across the country are ramping up their efforts to fight for equity and affordability when it comes to drug pricing in the United States. The NAACP has called for state prescription drug affordability boards to establish fair drug prices as well as efforts to establish national review of drug prices. Drug pricing, and access to health care, is a civil rights issue — we must lower prices to achieve health equity. — (The Times Weekly)
2.Patents Enabling Profiteering
Truvada, an HIV-prevention drug and a poster child for pharmaceutical patent abuse, was developed largely using public funding over 15 years ago. But while generic competition in other countries has driven down the price to as little as $210 per month, Gilead cut a deal allowing only one company to produce a generic version of the drug in the United States. As a result, both the brand-name and generic versions cost American patients over $1,400 per month. The drug patent system is in need of serious reform to make it work for patients — not Big Pharma. — (NBC)
3. Show Us the Receipts
Members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, a coalition of over 300 investor organizations, filed shareholder proposals calling on six drug companies to price their COVID-19 drugs and vaccines affordably and transparently. Taxpayers have funneled billions of dollars to develop drugs and treatments. We’d like to see the receipts. — (Barron’s)
Patients For Affordable Drugs Now is giving thanks to our patient community. Together, we will lower drug prices.
Welcome to the Week In Review!
1. It’s Not Enough
Yesterday, the Trump administration released two drug pricing rules which take steps in the right direction but fall short of the comprehensive reforms we need to lower the prices of prescription drugs. One, which would pass much needed discounts negotiated by pharmacy benefit managers to patients, is also likely to increase premiums by $50 billion. The second, which would bring the prices of a limited number of Medicare Part B drugs in line with lower prices paid in other countries, is unlikely to go into effect due to legal challenges. Now the use of international reference pricing has been endorsed by the outgoing Republican and incoming Democratic administrations and enjoys bipartisan support in Congress — it’s time for elected officials to seize this momentum and bring down prices for good. — (Politico)
2. Medicare Negotiation Will Save Millions of Lives, Billions of Dollars
More than 1 million Medicare recipients could die in the next decade because they can’t afford their prescription drugs, a new study released by the West Health Policy Center has found. But, direct Medicare negotiation could save nearly 94,000 lives a year and save taxpayers $476 billion by 2030. This isn’t a hard choice — we need Medicare negotiation now. — (Council for Informed Drug Spending Analysis)
3. Keep It Going
On Tuesday, the House passed a bipartisan bill that would prevent drug companies from abusing the orphan drug designation to price gouge patients for their medications. Now, patients are counting on the Senate to finish the job and send the bill to the president’s desk. — (FiercePharma)
4. We’ve Done the Work
The two promising COVID-19 vaccine candidates from Pfizer and Moderna are grounded in federally funded research conducted by scientists at universities, the National Institutes of Health, and the Defense Department. And, the federal government has committed another $454 million to Johnson & Johnson’s potential COVID-19 vaccine. From the beginning, Americans have been investing in groundbreaking technologies that will hopefully save lives — and now, pharma is taking credit and pocketing billions of dollars for the work we’ve done. — (Kaiser Health News)
5. Hey 117th — Lower drug prices
The general election is over, thank goodness. Now, 80 percent of voters want to see bipartisan congressional action on lowering drug prices, a new poll found. It’s time for lawmakers to deliver on their campaign promises and hold Big Pharma accountable for skyrocketing prices. — (Morning Consult)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following statement was issued today by David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now:
“The rules announced today by the Trump administration fall short of the comprehensive reforms we need to lower the prices of prescription drugs and provide relief all Americans need. They are a mixed bag at best.
“The most-favored nation international reference pricing rule endorses bringingprices of some drugs more in line with what other wealthy nations pay, which is a step in the right direction. But its impact is limited to a small number of Part B drugs, does not address Part D drugs, and would offer no relief whatsoever to the 85 percent of Americans not covered by Medicare. It is likely to be blocked by legal challenges, meaning any relief is a long way off.
“The rebate rule takes steps in the right direction by ridding our system of secret deals between drug companies and pharmacy benefit managers. Instead, negotiated discounts would be passed to patients and consumers at point of sale. But we are concerned that the rule does not adequately address the projected premium increases of $50 billion found previously by the CMS Office of the Actuary and the increased government spending of $177 billionover 10 years found by the Congressional Budget Office. This level of premium and cost impact would be unacceptable. Moreover the rule does nothing to lower list prices of drugs and provides no relief to the vast majority of Americans.
“We do note that the use of international reference pricing has now been endorsed by the outgoing Republican and incoming Democratic administrations and enjoys bipartisan support in Congress. We hope elected officials will seize on this momentum and enact legislation that will bring down the prices of prescription drugs in the United States.”
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Congrats! If you’re reading this, you made it through Friday the 13th. Welcome to the Week in Review!
1. Keep Your Word
Democratic and Republican candidates across the country were elected after promising to lower drug prices, and now, a new ad from Patients For Affordable Drugs Now calls on them to uphold their commitments when they take office. Americans can’t wait any longer for drug pricing reform. It’s time for Congress and President-elect Biden to get the job done. — (FiercePharma)
2. Getting Rich Quick
Pharma executives can’t resist cashing in on a crisis. After Pfizer’s stock value surged upon news of the efficacy of its potential COVID-19 vaccine, CEO Albert Bourla sold $5.6 million worth of stock. Taxpayers around the world have funded numerous vaccine candidates in an effort to beat COVID-19, and drug company executives are using the opportunity to profiteer on a pandemic. — (NPR)
3. We’re Kept in the Dark
In response to public pressure for transparency into government spending, drug makers with Operation Warp Speed contracts for COVID-19 vaccines are releasing the terms of their agreements. Some contracts are missing standard taxpayer protections on drug pricing. The public deserves more transparency from the government for deals involving billions of taxpayer dollars. It’s our right to know how our investments are being used. — (NPR)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last week, voters across the country elected candidates who ran on promises to lower prescription drug prices. Today, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now launched a new ad to ensure they deliver on those promises. Democrats and Republicans made relief from rising drug prices a central part of their campaigns through speeches, ads, and debates.
“From Maine to Arizona, voters sent congressional candidates to Washington who committed to relief from high drug prices for the American people. And now we will hold them to those promises,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now.
“President-elect Biden has made unifying the nation his first priority, and no issue unifies Americans like the need to lower the prices of prescription drugs,” Mitchell added. “We will mobilize our full support behind President-elect Biden and members of Congress from both parties who act to deliver meaningful reform to lower prescription drug prices.”
The new campaign kicks off this week with the ad slated to run on digital media platforms. In the coming months, the campaign will include grassroots mobilization and virtual visits to Capitol Hill by patients to press for promised reforms.
The ad features President-elect Biden and winning Senate candidates on both sides of the aisle promising to take on skyrocketing drug prices. Included in the ad are Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), Gary Peters (D-MI), Steve Daines (R-MT), Susan Collins (R-ME), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Senator-elect Mark Kelly (D-AZ).
Patients For Affordable Drugs Now is an independent, bipartisan patient organization focused on advancing policies to lower drug prices. It does not accept funding from any organizations that profit from the development or distribution of prescription drugs.
TRANSCRIPT:
President-elect Joe Biden: “We’re going to make sure we reduce drug prices.” SUPER: This election season (thank goodness it’s over) Senator Tina Smith (D-MN): “I have been working to lower prescription drug prices.” SUPER: Across the country, Democrats and Republicans made a promise SUPER: Lower drug prices Senator Gary Peters (D-IL): “I’m fighting to lower the cost of prescription drugs.” Senator Steve Daines (R-MT): “He’s taking on Big Pharma.” Senator Susan Collins (R-ME): “To lower the cost of prescriptions.” Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA): “We have to work on prescription drugs.” Senator-elect Mark Kelly (D-AZ): “A single prescription can cost thousands.” SUPER: Now Americans demand that lawmakers deliver on their promise SUPER: Lower prescription drug prices. SUPER: Fightpharma.org
