ELECTION 2020: Campaigns Talk Drug Prices Because Voters Want Reform
Whatever the outcome on Tuesday, this election has made one thing clear yet again: Voters care deeply about taking on drug corporations and bringing down the price of prescription drugs.
This cycle, in an unprecedented way, candidates, political parties, and independent expenditure campaigns spent time and money talking about rising prescription drug prices and promising to fix the broken system. Candidates on both sides of the aisle made promises to bring down drug prices — with good reason. Lowering drug prices is a winner in polling, among voters at the kitchen table, and for the economy.
Take a look for yourself.
POLLING demonstrates the power of lowering drug prices.
Nearly 9 out of 10 voters say lowering prescription drug prices is a top health care issue deciding their 2020 vote. [Kaiser Family Foundation, October 2020]
“About one-third (35%) of Americans say that lowering the cost of prescription drugs is either the single most important issue (5%) or among the most important issues (30%) that will influence their vote in 2020.” [Gallup, September 2020]
CANDIDATES put their time and money behind ads and talking points promising to lower drug prices.
“Joe Biden will make health care affordable. His plan gives a tax credit to help working families pay insurance premiums, lowers prescription costs by 60 percent.” [Biden for President TV ad, October 2020]
“On prescription drugs, Susan wrote the law that lets pharmacists recommend less expensive payment alternatives.” [Senator Susan Collins TV ad, September 2020]
“I have been working to lower prescription drug prices since my first day in the Senate.” [Senator Tina Smith TV ad, August 2020]
“My legislation cracks down on runaway drug prices and finally lets the government negotiate for lower prices.” [Senator Mark Warner TV ad,September 2020]
LAWMAKERS pay a political price for betting on Big Pharma. Outside entities believe ties to drug corporations are toxic and spent millions this cycle defining candidates as in the pocket of Big Pharma.
“If you’re a drug company, you’ve done well under Donald Trump…Meanwhile, prescription drugs cost as much as nine times more.” [Priorities USA TV ad, October 2020]
“Senator Thom Tillis voted to let drug companies raise prices on hundreds of medicines, and while they were jacking up prices on you.” [Senate Majority PAC TV ad, August 2020]
“Daines voted to give big drug companies tens of billions in tax breaks.” [Duty and Honor TV ad, August 2020]
“David Perdue voted against cracking down on the drug companies’ price gouging and ripping us off.” [Majority Forward TV ad, July 2020]
“Next time you fill a prescription, remember this. Minnesota’s U.S. Congressman Jim Hagedorn says he will vote against lowering the cost of prescription drugs.” [DCCC TV ad, October 2020]
“Back in Washington, Davis is all smiles for big drug companies, because they’ve given him over two hundred grand while Davis gave them a $40 billion tax cut.” [House Majority PAC TV ad, September 2020]
“While we’re waiting for Ann Wagner to answer our calls, she’s busy calling the corporate drug and insurance industries who’ve given her more than $1.3 million in campaign cash. And, she voted with them to keep prescription prices high.” [DCCC TV ad, August 2020]
“Tillis took thousands from drug companies and voted to let them raise prices on hundreds of drugs.” [End Citizens United TV ad, September 2020]
VOTERS want to hear about plans to lower drug prices.
“It’s going to be my first time voting this year. Prices of drugs have a huge effect on my vote.” [Sophie Andro, Grand Rapids, MI, October 2020]
“I’m voting for candidates who will stand up to Big Pharma and lower the prices of prescription drugs.” [Jacquie Persson, Waterloo, IA, September 2020]
“When I’m voting up and down the ballot, candidates that are gonna fight high drug prices are everything to me.” [Travis Paulson, Eveleth, MN, September 2020]
“When I’m thinking about whoever I’m going to vote for, drug pricing is very important.” [Patricia McKenzie, Lithonia, GA, September 2020]
Three. More. Days. Welcome to the Week In Review.
1.Ten Years A Cancer Patient
On the 10th anniversary of his multiple myeloma diagnosis, David Mitchell, the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs, reflects on his journey and the power of the patient voice in calling for lower drug prices. “Cancer broke my back, but it stiffened my spine. And every day I am inspired by my fellow patients in this fight. They are the key to change. They are the reason we will win.” — (Morning Consult)
2. Send Him Packing
As candidates across the country commit to lowering drug prices, one senator stands apart from the rest in his refusal to do so: Senator Thom Tillis from North Carolina. Tillis has repeatedly backed pharmaceutical companies instead of standing up for patients. — (STAT)
3.Risky Investments
The federal government is paying Eli Lilly $375 million for 300,000 doses of its potential COVID-19 treatment, with the option of securing 650,000 more doses for an additional $812.5 million. At $1,250 per dose, it’s a hefty price to pay for a drug that U.S. taxpayers helped to develop. — (Reuters)
4. Paying in Advance
Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries will receive FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines without paying additional out-of-pocket fees, according to a new policy announced by the Trump administration Wednesday. This is welcome news, but let’s not forget that taxpayers have already paid billions of dollars for vaccine development. — (The Hill)
5. The Very Definition of Pandemic Profiteering
Pharma executives at a dozen companies making COVID-19 vaccines and treatments have cashed in $1.3 billion worth of stock since March. What’s worse, companies like Moderna have $2.5 billion in taxpayer cash committed to test, produce, and eventually sell 100 million doses of its vaccine candidate right back to the government that fully funded it. Taxpayers are taking on the risk — while drug company insiders get rich. — (The Boston Globe)
TEN days to go. Welcome to the Week In Review.
1.Dubious Discount Cards…Disappear?
The Trump administration’s vow to deliver $200 drug coupons to Medicare beneficiaries before Election Day is a no-go, according to Medicare officials. Such a move may violate election law and has triggered congressional requests to review the plan. What Americans desperately need now is lasting reform to lower drug prices, not another political ploy that changes nothing for the millions of people suffering under Big Pharma’s greed. — (The New York Times)
2. Stage Set for Drug Pricing Reform in 2021
In 2021, Congress is expected to continue its push to lower drug prices that was — understandably — interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Regardless of the makeup of the 117th Congress, one thing is certain: Our legislators must work together to stand up to Big Pharma and provide relief to all Americans. — (FierceHealthcare)
3.Double-Charged in a Pandemic
Billions of dollars in federal funding flowed to pharma’s coffers to develop COVID-19 vaccines. Now, pharma plans to charge Americans a second time for the taxpayer-funded doses and make a killing on the public investment. This game is rigged — we’re being set up to pay twice. — (Salon)
4. Oh, COME ON
The FDA on Thursday approved Gilead’s COVID-19 drug remdesivir, only days after data from a WHO megastudy suggested the drug had “little to no” effect on COVID-19 patients and did not prevent death. Even so, one course of treatment for the taxpayer-funded drug is $3,120, a price that ignores the massive taxpayer support that prompted its creation. Accessibility to an expensive COVID-19 treatment with mixed reviews shouldn’t be one more thing we need to worry about. — (STAT)
5.Milking Mayhem
Pfizer could make as much as $3.5 billion next year from its potential COVID-19 vaccine and $1.4 billion in the years following, according to analysts. Drug corporations are treating this unprecedented public health crisis as a way to cash in. — (FiercePharma)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — During tonight’s presidential debate in Nashville, Vice President Joe Biden promised to stand with patients and let Medicare negotiate for lower drug prices.
“Drug prices are a top issue for voters, and we appreciate Vice President Biden emphasizing his plan to lower prices, promote competition, and let Medicare negotiate,” said Ben Wakana, executive director of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now.
Vice President Biden: “We’re going to make sure we reduce the premiums and reduce drug prices by making sure that there’s competition that doesn’t exist now by allowing Medicare to negotiate.”
BACKGROUND:
Nearly 9 out of 10 voters say lowering prescription drug prices is a top health care issue deciding their 2020 presidential vote.
86 percent of Americans support “allowing the federal government to negotiate with drug companies to get a lower price on medications for people on Medicare.”
According to the University of Pennsylvania, Vice President Biden’s proposals would lower average prescription drug prices by roughly 60 percent.
Vice President Joe Biden’s plan to lower drug prices has several key components:
Allow Medicare to negotiate for lower prices and limit price increases for brand-name drugs to the rate of inflation
Create policies to counter anti-competitive practices like “pay-for-delay” deals, patent thickets, and evergreening
Evaluate the role of taxpayer investments in R&D and factor it into pricing decisions
Drug prices are continuing to rise, with increases on over 500 drugs in January 2020 alone and nearly 250 additional drugs in the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Patients across the country are calling on President Trump and former Vice President Biden to discuss their plans to lower the prices of prescription drugs at the final presidential debate in Nashville Thursday.
“Ever increasing drug prices continue to hurt Americans all across the country,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “And with the pandemic stealing lives and livelihoods, voters need to hear from the candidates about how they will lower the prices of prescription drugs. We will be listening as the candidates lay out their final arguments Thursday — to hear how they will fight for patients and stand up against pharma.”
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly 9 out of 10 voters say lowering prescription drug prices is a top health care issue deciding their 2020 vote. And, 35 percent of voters say drug pricing is among their “most important” voting issues, according to Gallup.
Patients in 15 key battleground states have shared stories of the impact skyrocketing drug prices have had on their lives. Here’s a sample of what patients across the country want the presidential candidates to understand:
Blythe Kauhn, Chandler, AZ, type 1 diabetes: “I feel like more people need to understand that it’s not cheap to have conditions that don’t go away. We don’t get to say, ‘Oh, I don’t want to have diabetes this month.’”
Kris Garcia, Denver, CO, bleeding disorders: “When you cast your ballot, make sure your candidate has a plan to lower drug prices.”
Clayton “DJ” Martin, Jacksonville, FL, sickle cell disease: “As a father with sickle cell, with a daughter with the sickle cell trait, I worry about her future because of the high prices of drugs.”
Patricia McKenzie, Lithonia, GA, type 2 diabetes: “People have to choose between eating and their medications. They have to choose between life and death. And that should not be a choice. Not here in America.”
Jacquie Persson, Waterloo, IA, Crohn’s disease: “I’m voting for candidates who will stand up to Big Pharma and lower the prices of prescription drugs.”
Tammy de la Cruz, North Las Vegas, NV, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy: “The cost of this medication is anywhere from $1,000 to $1,500, and I get it every week. Without it, I fear I will become paralyzed again.”
Rose Keller, Concord, NH, cystic fibrosis: “The high cost of drug prices has stripped me, and other young patients like me, of the opportunity to dream about what we might be when we grow up.”
Don Kreis, Concord, NH, Rose’s father: “For my sake, and for the sake of my daughter, I hope you will vote for candidates who fight Big Pharma and stand up for lower drug prices.”
Steven Hadfield, Charlotte, NC, blood cancer: “The doctor has recommended me to work less. But I live in fear over my high drug prices.”
Sophie, 19, Grand Rapids, MI, type 1 diabetes: “It’s going to be my first time voting this year. Prices of drugs have a huge effect on my vote.”
Hazel, 12, Grand Rapids, MI, type 1 diabetes: “I hope you’ll vote for candidates who will fight for lower drug prices.”
Travis Paulson, Eveleth, MN, type 1 diabetes: “Since the pandemic has started, we’ve been forced to buy our medications and insulin at the extraordinary prices they charge here in the U.S.”
Heidi Kendall, Missoula, MT, chronic myeloid leukemia: “It’s scary to depend for my life on a drug that costs so much.”
Kolton Chapman, Pickerington, OH, ulcerative colitis: “When I was on Entyvio, I was responsible for paying $2,000 a month. It was more than I owe in student loans, so I ended up filing for bankruptcy because of my medical debt.”
Rachel Burnett, Pittsburgh, PA, Crohn’s disease: “It’s so unfair to have these illnesses, and it’s so unfair to have to pay so much just to stay alive.”
Candice Brown, Alexandria, VA, ulcerative colitis: “This drug pricing system was not meant to benefit me as a patient. It was meant to benefit Big Pharma.”
Leah Clark, Columbus, WI, Crohn’s disease: “I have big plans for my future, and I can’t afford to have the high cost of drug prices getting in the way of my accomplishments.”
In September, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now launched a national campaign lifting up the voices of patients who are calling on voters to support candidates who will stand up to Big Pharma and fight to lower prescription drug prices. The campaign features TV, radio, and digital ads alongside tools to give grassroots patient advocates the power to engage with candidates on the issue of drug prices. P4ADNow is an independent, bipartisan patient organization focused on policies to lower drug prices. It does not accept funding from any organizations that profit from the development or distribution of prescription drugs.
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We need Clare-ity on drug prices.
1.Follow the Money: Pharma Peddles Influence in State Races
Big Pharma’s tentacles are reaching into the industry’s deep pockets, throwing millions in cash donations at state candidates’ races across the country to prevent state legislatures from passing drug pricing reform, a comprehensive investigation into the money flow found. Pharma may have the cash, but we must use our voices and votes to call on our legislators to stand up to drug companies and protect us from predatory pricing. — (STAT News)
2. Drug Pricing on the Ballot
On Tuesday, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now hosted a presidential town hall on drug pricing featuring representatives from the Trump and Biden campaigns and moderated by Kaiser Health News’ Elisabeth Rosenthal. We are grateful for their participation in a substantive conversation about how to lower drug prices — a top issue for many voters heading to the ballot box. Watch the full event here. — (Patients For Affordable Drugs Now)
3.Taxpayer Cash Flows to Pharma
AstraZeneca received $486 million from the U.S. federal government for the development and supply of 100,000 doses of its COVID-19 antibody treatment. Let’s add it to the growing list of vaccines and treatments that taxpayers have funded — we deserve to see our investments reflected in the final price. — (Reuters)
4. Transparency Needed
The government has awarded billions of dollars in COVID-19 vaccine deals to drug companies through a third-party organization, bypassing typical contracting and leaving American taxpayers in the dark about how their money is being spent. Taxpayers need transparency now. — (NPR)
5. Betting on Pandemic PR
The drug industry is betting its outsized role in the COVID-19 pandemic will buoy reputations and profits — not to mention increase political leverage as the companies face drug pricing reforms. Pharma’s work on vaccines and treatments does not erase the industry’s history of abusive pricing and monopolistic behavior. We must stay the course and continue our work to hold Big Pharma accountable and lower drug prices. — (The New York Times)
WASHINGTON, D.C. —This week, two independent investigations detailed how Big Pharma is showering state and federal officials with tens of millions of dollars in hopes of winning their votes in legislative fights next year.
STAT NEWS: “First-of-its-kind examination shows how widely pharma showers campaign cash at the state level”
HOUSTON CHRONICLE: “Prescription drug costs take center stage in Texas races for Congress”
“Pharma may have deep pockets, but patients have our voices and our votes,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “This election year, patients are sending a message to legislators at all levels: Stand with patients, not pharma.”
According to STAT News’ analysis, Big Pharma has conducted a coordinated effort to win favor in state legislatures. “Major pharmaceutical companies and trade groups have helped to fund the campaigns of 1,933 state legislators nationwide in the current election cycle,” according to the investigation.
The Houston Chronicle highlights the influence pharma is attempting to buy in key Texas congressional races. Nationwide, the article highlights the industry’s commitment to congressional donations: “The pharmaceutical industry had already spent $26 million on congressional campaign donations through the first six months of the year trying to influence outcomes.”
In September, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now launched an effort to push back on Big Pharma’s lobbying influence. The grassroots campaign lifts up the voices of patients and calls on voters to support candidates who will stand up to Big Pharma and fight to lower prescription drug prices.
Nearly 8 in 10 Americans say drug prices are “unreasonable,” and nearly 1 in 3 Americans report not taking their medication as prescribed due to price. According to a recent national survey, 7 out of 10 likely voters say a candidate’s position on lowering prescription drug prices is important in deciding who to vote for — including 30 percent who say it is very important.
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Time flies when you’re lowering drug prices.
1.We Already Own It
Moderna has promised not to enforce patent rights on its developing COVID-19 vaccine “while the pandemic continues” and is “willing” to license rights afterward, meaning other drug companies could produce vaccines based on the same technology. Good. But remember, taxpayers 100 percent funded the vaccine candidate. It should already belong to the people. — (The Wall Street Journal)
2. Do Better, America
On average, Americans pay about 11 times more for insulin than people with diabetes living in peer countries, according to a study from the RAND Corporation. Big Pharma is going to continue charging what it can get away with for this vital, life-saving medication until our elected leaders make lasting, meaningful reform. — (Axios)
3.Big Pharma Scam
Pfizer has sued the federal government in an attempt to weaken federal policies prohibiting direct copay assistance for Medicare beneficiaries. The company claims it’s just sticking up for patients who need a $225,000 Pfizer drug to treat a rare and potentially fatal cardiac condition. But all is not as it seems. Copay assistance is a Big Pharma scam. These programs blunt patient sensitivity to drug costs, putting taxpayers on the hook to pick up outrageous price tags. Instead of copay scams, we need comprehensive drug pricing reform to bring down the prices pharmaceutical companies set in the first place. — (Barron’s)
