SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Eveleth patient Travis Paulson, who lives with type 1 diabetes, will testify in front of the Minnesota House State Government Finance and Elections Committee this afternoon in support of the bipartisan legislation HF 801, which would establish a prescription drug affordability board designed to address the high prices of prescription drugs for Minnesotans.
Paulson was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 14 and has struggled to keep up with the high price of insulin in recent years. His insulin, which he needs to survive, currently costs $300 a vial, which comes to $1,500 per month. Paulson has had to work odd jobs, living paycheck to paycheck in order to stay alive.
“Unfortunately for me, years of rationing insulin has caused long-term complications that never would have occurred if I had access to affordable insulin,” Paulson will tell the committee.
“These out-of-control drug prices have serious consequences for Minnesota patients and contribute to excessive costs for the state. We need our state government to pass House File 801, which would rein in drug prices while increasing transparency around the pricing practices of drug companies. Because drugs don’t work if people can’t afford them.”
HF 801 would:
The hearing and Paulson’s testimony can be watched here at 6:00 PM CT.
The bill was previously heard in the House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee, where patient advocate Ramae Hamrin testified in support of the bill. It passed out of committee on a 11 to 7 vote.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following statement was issued by Sheila McLean, a patient and the executive director of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, after the Senate Finance Committee’s vote on the confirmation of Xavier Becerra as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
“We call on Senate Majority Leader Schumer to move quickly to a vote to confirm Xavier Becerra for Secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services in the full Senate. In his confirmation hearings, Xavier Becerra was firm in expressing the Biden administration’s commitment to take on Big Pharma, tackle our broken drug pricing system, and work with Congress on bipartisan reforms that will bring down prescription drug prices for all Americans. We know from our experience working with him in California that he can get the job done.”
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SALEM, Ore. — Oregon patient advocate Michael Nielsen will testify in front of the Oregon Senate Committee on Health Care today in support of Senate Bill 764, which cracks down on abusive “pay-for-delay” deals between pharmaceutical manufacturers that delay generic competition and keep prices high.
Nielsen’s wife, Jacki, was diagnosed with the potentially fatal disease hepatitis C. In 2020, after Jacki’s illness progressed, her doctor prescribed her the curative drug Mavyret. But a 90-day supply of the medication is priced at more than $13,000 — or $433 per pill. That was unaffordable for the couple.
“It’s wrong what the drug companies are allowed to get away with by playing the system and preventing more affordable generics from coming to market,” Nielsen, 69, will tell the committee. “I am asking our legislators to fight for patients like us.”
The couple has devoted their lives to giving back to their community. Nielsen served two tours in Vietnam, and together, they have raised four children and 22 foster children.
“It’s sad to know that even though our family has served our community and our country, the system is still letting us down in our time of need. My wife needlessly suffered simply because her drug is too expensive.”
Senate Bill 764 would prohibit an anti-competitive drug industry tactic called “pay-for-delay,” in which a brand-name drug maker cuts a deal with a generic company to delay the introduction of a lower-priced drug to market. The bill would allow the Oregon attorney general to bring civil action against companies involved in such deals with penalties up to three times the value of the drug. California was the first state in the nation to pass pay-for-delay legislation, and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has successfully defended the legislation in court.
Nielsen’s testimony and the hearing in the Senate Health Care Committee can be viewed here at 1 PM PT today.
SB 764 is part of a package of bills moving through the Oregon State Legislature that address high drug prices. The package also includes House Bill 3267, which would establish a prescription drug affordability board. HB 3267 was introduced last week and was referred to the House Committee on Health Care.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following statement was issued today by David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now:
“Over two days of hearings, Xavier Becerra has reaffirmed his commitment to work with Congress on a bipartisan basis to develop and implement solutions that will lower prescription drug prices. In hearings before the Senate HELP and Finance Committees, Becerra demonstrated his experience and understanding of America’s broken drug pricing system and his commitment to help President Biden deliver on his promise to provide relief to patients.
“On behalf of patients across the country, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now urges the Senate to quickly confirm Xavier Becerra as Secretary of Health and Human Services. We look forward to working with Secretary Becerra in the weeks and months ahead.”
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Xavier Becerra reinforced his commitment to swiftly tackle the high price of prescription drugs during his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate HELP committee today. Becerra demonstrated his extensive knowledge and experience taking on our broken drug pricing system, his understanding of tactics for bringing down prices for patients, and the need to spur drug innovation while ensuring taxpayers “get our money’s worth.”
“Today, Xavier Becerra committed to continuing his strong record of taking on Big Pharma and standing with patients against high drug prices,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “Becerra’s work on drug pricing as attorney general of California and in the House of Representatives demonstrates he has the expertise and experience to achieve comprehensive change to restore balance so Americans get the innovation we need at prices we can afford.”
Watch Becerra here.
Patients For Affordable Drugs Now has endorsed Secretary-designate Becerra and urges the Senate to vote for his confirmation quickly.
TRANSCRIPT:
“There is unanimity, bipartisan support for tackling the high cost of prescription medication. And I can assure you that that will be one of my priorities, is to deal with it swiftly. I tried to tackle it as the attorney general. I tried to work on that when I was in the House, and I look forward to working with you and members of this body in the future.”
“I think, Senator, we can all agree that the price that we’re paying for some of these prescription drugs is far higher than it should be. All you have to do is travel to another country, whether Canada or another country in the world, to find that we’re paying way more than people in some of these countries are paying. I took on a number of pharmaceutical companies, drug makers, by trying to go behind the curtain of how they reach their pricing. And we were able to prove that there is collusion, at times, going on. There’s a process called “pay-for-delay,” where companies will essentially collude with each other to not have a second company put a generic product on the market to compete with the brand-name product and therefore keeping the price of that brand-name pharmaceutical product high. We were able to succeed in going behind that curtain and trying to undercut that type of antitrust activity.”
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ahead of his confirmation hearings in the Senate HELP and Finance Committees, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now enthusiastically endorses Xavier Becerra and urges the Senate to confirm him quickly as secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). As attorney general of California, Becerra took on America’s rigged drug pricing system, leading fights to crack down on drug corporation price gouging, regulate pharmacy benefit managers, and curb anti-competitive tactics by Big Pharma.
Patients For Affordable Drugs Now worked closely with Becerra to pass the first-in-the-nation legislation, California AB 824, which ended abusive pay-for-delay deals that block cheaper generic drugs from coming to market and keep prices high.
“We have seen firsthand Xavier Becerra’s commitment to stand with patients for lower drug prices,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “As attorney general and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mr. Becerra demonstrated his sophisticated understanding of our broken drug pricing system and the impact it has on patients — especially people of color. We look forward to working with Mr. Becerra to lower drug prices when he takes the reins as secretary of HHS.”
Karen Macedon, a longtime Sacramento resident and waitress who lives with type 2 diabetes and asthma, has firsthand experience with Becerra’s efforts to lower drug prices. She testified in Sacramento in 2019 in support of the Becerra-led AB 824.
Patients For Affordable Drugs Now looks forward to working with Secretary-designate Becerra to enact lasting drug pricing reform.
MORE ON XAVIER BECERRA’S FIGHT TO LOWER DRUG PRICES:
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ST. PAUL, Minn. — Bemidji cancer patient Ramae Hamrin will testify in front of the Minnesota House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee today in support of the bipartisan legislation HF 801, which would establish a prescription drug affordability board designed to protect Minnesota patients like Hamrin from unaffordable prescription drugs.
Hamrin lives with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer, and relies on Revlimid, an oral chemotherapy drug sold by Celgene/Bristol Myers Squibb, to keep her alive. Revlimid is priced at over $250,000 a year and, even on Medicare, Hamrin faces out-of-pocket costs of $15,000 a year. That is simply untenable for Hamrin.
“In order to continue taking this life-saving drug, there is a chance I will have to deplete my life savings, cash out my 401(k), and sell my house. When those funds run out, I’m not sure what I will do. Usually, I am a planner — but I cannot plan for this,” Hamrin, age 50, will tell the committee. “My circumstances make me feel helpless at times, but I am grateful that I can share my story with all of you.”
“This bill to create a drug pricing board is an essential first step to hold drug companies accountable and fix this broken system. Drugs don’t work if people can’t afford them. I strongly urge you to vote YES on HF 801 to protect patients from the burden of high drug prices.”
HF 801 would:
The hearing and Hamrin’s testimony can be watched here at 3:00 PM CST.
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SANTA FE, N.M. — Albuquerque patient Kristina Caffrey will share her story of relying on a $350,000-a-year prescription medication with the state House Health and Human Services committee today. Caffrey will testify in support of House Bill 154, legislation that would establish a prescription drug affordability board designed to protect New Mexico patients like Caffrey from unaffordable prescription drug prices.
Caffrey lives with Gaucher disease and relies on the medication Cerdelga, sold by Sanofi Genzyme for $500 a pill. Caffrey’s two-pills-a-day regime runs an annual price tag that equals the price of a house.
“Genzyme has recouped its investments [on the drug Cerdelga] many times over, but I am still paying the price. They do this because they can — and because no one has ever demanded to know why they’re extorting people like me,” Caffrey, 33, will testify. “The burden of high prescription drug prices is not just monetary. It is also an emotional one. I have made so many decisions out of fear of not being able to obtain or afford medication.”
“This is why New Mexico needs an affordability board, made up of experts who can peel back the curtain of arbitrary pricing that has nothing to do with the costs of production, the costs of development, or the value to patients.”
House Bill 154 would:
The hearing and Caffrey’s testimony can be viewed live here at 8:30 AM MT today.
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