Patients Thank Senator Schumer For Leading Historic Reforms To Lower Drug Prices And Push For Bills To Curb Anti-Competitive Practices And Boost Generic Competition
NEW YORK — Over 100 patients from New York who depend on essential, high-priced medications sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer thanking him for his work to lower drug prices and urging him to continue his efforts to make medicines more affordable by including legislation that would curb patent abuse and increase competition in a January health care package.
The letter to Senator Schumer endorses a package of bipartisan bills, which, having received committee approval, address the anti-competitive tactics employed by drug companies to delay the entry of generic competition necessary to reduce drug prices. These legislative reforms are anticipated to substantially decrease prices and out-of-pocket expenses for millions of patients and result in significant savings for taxpayers.
“We stand in support of the bipartisan bills aimed at curbing these anti-competitive practices,” the letter reads. “We know that you and Senators on both sides of the aisle have been working to advance these measures. It’s critical that we take action now to improve competition and address the loopholes exploited by Big Pharma. Doing so will lead to lower out-of-pocket costs for millions of people and substantial savings for taxpayers.’
The bills included are:
“As your constituents in New York, we are committed to supporting your efforts to make progress on these critical bills,” the letter continues. “We laud your dedication to this cause and we are eager to see you build on the work you’ve already achieved to ensure these bipartisan bills are enacted to further lower prescription drug prices for patients nationwide.”
Read the full letter and list of signers here and below.
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Senator Chuck Schumer
Majority Leader
322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Schumer,
As patients from New York who rely on expensive medications to treat our illnesses or conditions we are particularly impacted by the high price of prescription drugs. We are writing to express our gratitude for your tireless efforts in championing vital prescription drug reforms to make medications more accessible and affordable for all.
The Inflation Reduction Act was instrumental in securing historic reforms such as drug price negotiation under Medicare, an out-of-pocket cap in Medicare Part D, and inflation-based rebates for drugs in Medicare Part B and D. These initiatives will significantly alleviate the burden of high prescription drug costs for many of us in our community and millions across the country. The actions you’ve taken are positively impacting the lives of seniors, people with disabilities, and many others relying on Medicare for essential medications.
Despite all that progress, we recognize that you are well aware that more work is needed to ensure continued progress to combat exorbitant prescription drug prices. As you know, Big Pharma uses anti-competitive practices, like patent thickets, product hopping, and pay-for-delay arrangements, to hinder the entry of generic and biosimilar medications into the market, obstructing market competition that would reduce drug prices for patients across the country.
We stand in support of the bipartisan bills aimed at curbing these anti-competitive practices. We know that you and Senators on both sides of the aisle have been working to advance these measures. It’s critical that we take action now to improve competition and address the loopholes exploited by Big Pharma. Doing so will lead to lower out-of-pocket costs for millions of people and substantial savings for taxpayers.
As your constituents in New York, we are committed to supporting your efforts to make progress on these critical bills. We laud your dedication to this cause and we are eager to see you build on the work you’ve already achieved to ensure these bipartisan bills are enacted to further lower prescription drug prices for patients nationwide.
Thank you for your unwavering commitment to lower drug prices for all Americans. We stand with you and eagerly anticipate this package of crucial bills being brought to the floor so we can enhance competition for prescription drugs and reduce costs for patients.
Sincerely,
[Patient Signatures]
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Vote Sets Stage For Negotiation On Bipartisan Bills Promoting Competition Making Their Way Through The Senate
The following statement was issued by Merith Basey, executive director of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, after the House of Representatives passed the “Lower Costs, More Transparency Act”:
“The House’s decisive bipartisan action tonight in passing the “Lower Costs, More Transparency Act” including measures to increase transparency and further tackle high drug prices by improving the generic drug approval process, is highly encouraging and moves the Congress in the right direction. This development boosts the momentum for the Senate leadership to move forward with a comprehensive health care package, encompassing bills aimed at lowering drug prices by addressing patent abuses and other anti-competitive tactics employed by drug companies to delay generic and biosimilar competition. This action helps to pave the way for a bipartisan end of year package that can lower prescription drug prices for everyone.”
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Organizations Representing Patients, Consumers, Seniors, Students, Churches, And Disease Advocacy Groups Push For Package Of Bills That Strengthens Market Forces To Lower Prices For All Americans
Patients For Affordable Drugs Now and AARP, along with 60 other organizations sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urging them to pass bipartisan legislation to reform our patent and regulatory systems to curb unwarranted monopolies and promote competition to lower prescription drug prices for all Americans.
“There is a real opportunity in the Senate to advance a package of bipartisan bills that will increase competition and market forces to lower drug prices,” said Merith Basey, executive director of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “Senators on both sides of the aisle have put in far too much work on these bills over several years to let this opportunity be lost. The moment is at hand to enact reforms that voters overwhelmingly support and which will help patients of all ages regardless of whether they get their health care in the private or public sector.”
The letter to Senators Schumer and McConnell, and copied to every member of the Senate, supports a package of six bills — all bipartisan and all relying on competition and market forces to lower drug prices that complement reforms enacted last year under the Inflation Reduction Act.
“For too long, big drug companies have gamed the system to prevent less expensive generic and biosimilar drugs from entering the market. America’s seniors deserve better,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer. “Now is the time for Congress to pass bipartisan common-sense legislation that will give consumers real choices and lower their drug prices.”
“Critically, almost four out of five voters support such reforms including 75 percent of Republicans, 73 percent of Independents, and 86 percent of Democrats,” the letter reads. “The bills will save taxpayers $2-3 billion over 10 years and lead to lower out-of-pocket costs for millions of Americans.”
Patients like Sue Lee, 81, of Crestwood, Kentucky will be helped by these bills. Sue lives with chronic plaque psoriasis and was forced to endure painful sores because she couldn’t afford the high monthly cost of Humira — which was protected by 165 patents — and had to stop taking the drug.
Read the full letter and list of signers here and below.
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[November 1, 2023]
Dear Senators,
Bipartisan bills to strengthen competition and market forces to lower prescription drug prices have cleared every key Senate committee on strong bipartisan votes, and the undersigned groups that represent patients and advocates urge that they be enacted into law.
Critically, almost four out of five voters support such reforms including 75 percent of Republicans, 73 percent of Independents, and 86 percent of Democrats. The bills will save taxpayers $2-3 billion over 10 years and lead to lower out-of-pocket costs for millions of Americans. We ask you to advance the following bills now:
S. 142 to curb pay-for-delay deals in which brand name drug makers pay would-be generic and biosimilar competitors to keep them from bringing their products to market.
S. 150 to crack down on patent thickets and product-hopping, which are used to build a patent wall around existing brand name drugs and block lower-priced competition.
S. 148 and S. 1067 to stop drug company abuse of citizen petitions before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which drug companies use to delay generic and biosimilar market entry.
S. 775 to improve the ability of the FDA to disclose information generic companies need for speedy approval.
S. 79 to establish a task force between the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and FDA in order to improve each agency’s patent-related activities.
The bipartisan bills now before the Senate would curb anti-competitive practices and ensure the will of Congress for generic and biosimilar competition and market forces to lower prices as intended to lower prices under the Hatch-Waxman framework. Recent academic studies have repeatedly shown the need for these reforms:
The bills will help people like Sue Lee, 81, of Crestwood, Kentucky who is living with plaque psoriasis and who was forced to endure painful sores because she couldn’t afford the $8,000 a month cost of Humira – which was protected by 165 patents – and had to forgo the drug.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates these bills will collectively save taxpayers between $2-3 billion dollars. They will result in lower out-of-pocket costs for patients and millions of people regardless of insurance status.
With only 26 work days left in this calendar year, we urge the Senate to come together now and address these critical issues to improve the health and financial well-being of people all across the country. Thank you.
Cc: Members of the United States Senate
Signed:
AARP
ACA Consumer Advocacy
Alliance for Retired Americans
American Family Voices
Beta Cell Action
Beta Cell Foundation
Blue Shield of California
Business Leaders for Health Care Transformation
Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy
Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing
Center for Health and Democracy
Center for Medicare Advocacy
Citizen Action/Illinois
Consumer Action
Dana Investment Advisors
Doctors for America
Families USA
Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research
Generation Patient
Health Care Voices
Health GAP
Housing Works, Inc
Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge
Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility
Just Care USA
Labor Campaign for Single Payer
Long Island Center for Independent Living, Inc
Lower Drug Prices Now
Medicare Rights Center
Metro New York Health Care for All
MomsRising
National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
New York State Council of Churches
New York StateWide Senior Action Council, Inc
Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment
Patients For Affordable Drugs Now
Pennsylvania Health Access Network
Physicians for a National Health Program – NY Metro Chapter
Prescription Justice
Protect Our Care
Public Citizen
Public Interest Patent Law Institute
Rise Up WV
Salud y Fármacos
Seventh Generation Interfaith
Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth
Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia
Social Security Works
Socially Responsible Investment Coalition
SPACEs In Action
T1International, USA
TAG-Texans Against Gerrymandering
Tennessee Health Care Campaign, Inc
Tulipshare
Two Faces of MS
U.S. PIRG
Unity Fellowship of Christ Church – NYC
Universities Allied for Essential Medicines
VOCAL-NY
West Virginia Citizen Action Group
West Virginians for Affordable Health Care
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following statement was issued by Merith Basey, executive director of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, following the announcement by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that all of the drug companies making the 10 drugs selected for the first round of negotiations have agreed to enter negotiations with Medicare:
“On behalf of patients across the country, we are very pleased to see all of the drug companies manufacturing the ten selected drugs have agreed to enter negotiations with Medicare. This marks an important milestone in our movement – for the first time ever, Medicare will now officially be in the process of negotiating lower prices for essential and costly medications taken by millions of people in this country including cancer treatments, blood thinners, autoimmune disease treatments, and some diabetes drugs.
“People in the United States overwhelmingly support this law, and we look forward to continuing to work with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to ensure the Inflation Reduction Act is implemented in the best interest of patients, despite opposition from drug companies.
“These first 10 drugs are just the beginning – we will continue pushing on all fronts to lower drug prices for everyone.”
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Background:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following statement was issued today by David Mitchell, cancer patient and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, in response to the decision in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio Western Division denying the Chamber of Commerce request for a temporary injunction to stop Medicare from negotiating lower prices for prescription drugs:
“Today’s court ruling is an important victory for patients and all Americans, and demonstrates the weakness of the industry’s objections to Medicare negotiation to lower prescription drug prices under the Inflation Reduction Act. This is the first decision in the eight challenges that have been filed against the new law, and it sends a strong signal that drug companies and their trade associations will not prevail. Rather, the will of Americans expressed through the Congress will carry the day when all the legal arguments have been heard.”
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More Than Half Of Voters Have An Unfavorable Opinion Of Drug Companies, And Their Lawsuits Only Do More Damage To The Industry’s Image
Elected Officials Who Align Themselves With Drug Companies, Against American Voters, Do So “At Their Own Political Risk”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new national survey released today shows that Americans overwhelmingly – by more than a 5-to-1 margin – oppose the pharmaceutical industry’s lawsuits attempting to block Medicare from directly negotiating lower prescription drug prices. And by almost a 4-to-1 margin, voters reject drug company threats that lower negotiated prices will lead to fewer new treatments and cures.
“The American people understand the lawsuits to block lower drug prices through Medicare negotiation are not about looking after the best interests of patients and consumers, but about the industry seeking to restore its unilateral power to dictate prices of brand name drugs without limits in the United States,” said David Mitchell, a patient with incurable blood cancer whose drugs carry a list price of more than $960,000 per year and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “The lawsuits are a naked assault against the will of the American people, and we stand with the people.”
“Efforts in Congress to undermine implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act fly in the face of the wishes of the overwhelming majority of voters – 84 percent of whom support the law, including 93 percent of Democrats, 78 percent of independents and 80 percent of Republicans,” Mitchell continued. “Elected officials who align themselves with this unpopular and greedy industry, against the will of voters, do so at their own political risk.”
Poll results show that the respondents who viewed drug companies unfavorably jumped from half to two thirds upon hearing of the lawsuits and the arguments from both sides. The poll also found that drug companies’ argument that the Medicare negotiation law will lead to fewer cures is not believable to voters by a nearly 4-to-1 margin, and voters by a 6-to-1 margin say drug companies are opposing this law over profits, not because it violates the constitution. Consistent with previous polls, 84 percent of voters support allowing Medicare to negotiate directly with big drug companies to lower the prices of some drugs.
“Medicare sets prices for everything else it pays for – Big Pharma has been the only player exempt from a process to arrive at a fair price,” said Merith Basey, executive director of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “Pharma makes a huge profit negotiating in every other high income country in the world, and those nations have better health outcomes, longer life expectancy and for lower cost. It’s in the United States that the drug industry seeks to fleece patients with unlimited pricing power.”
The national survey of 1,000 likely voters was conducted August 23-27, 2023, by the bipartisan team of researchers, GS Strategy Group and Hart Research Associates. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1%.
Read the full poll memo here.
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FLORIDA — Patient advocate Sheldon Armus, a Medicare beneficiary from Boynton Beach, shared his story about the high price of his cardiac medications today and introduced President Biden, thanking him for passing the Inflation Reduction Act that will lower drug prices and improve the health of millions of patients. The president delivered remarks in Hallandale Beach about lowering prescription drug costs through the Inflation Reduction Act and protecting Social Security and Medicare.
Sheldon, 74, takes Xarelto and Brilinta, blood thinners that prevent him from developing dangerous blood clots that could lead to a heart attack or stroke. Sheldon explained that Johnson & Johnson has raised the price of Xarelto every year, far outpacing the rate of inflation. It now costs $500 for a 30-day supply, whereas if it had been held to the rate of inflation since 2013, its price would be less than $300 for a month’s supply.
The provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act will, for the first time, allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, curb annual drug price increases to no more than the rate of inflation, cap out-of-pocket costs for Medicare Part D beneficiaries at $2,000 in 2025, limit monthly insulin copays to $35 per month for Medicare beneficiaries, and make adult vaccines free for Medicare beneficiaries starting next year.
“Medicare is gonna have the power to negotiate lower drug prices,” said President Biden at today’s speech. “The total amount of prescription drug prices you have to pay in any one year if you’re a senior on Medicare…will not be more than $2,000 a year – that’s it.”
“Sheldon is a tremendous advocate and we are grateful he shared his story while introducing the president today,” said Merith Basey, Patients For Affordable Drug Now’s Executive Director. “The Inflation Reduction Act will lower costs for hundreds of thousands of Floridians like Sheldon which will make a significant difference in improving their lives. This is one of the many reasons the drug price provisions are supported by almost 80 percent of Americans, including seven out of 10 Republicans.”
Sheldon added: “Knowing that we have leaders like President Biden fighting to bring down our drug prices — not keep money in the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies — means the world to seniors like my wife and myself, who have been waiting on this relief for years.”
Watch Sheldon’s remarks and the president’s full speech here.
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P4ADNow Launches Push In Wyoming, Calling Out Senator Lummis For Standing With Big Pharma To Actually Raise Drug Prices
WYOMING — Patients are pushing back hard on Senator Cynthia Lummis’ recent effort to force them to pay more for their prescriptions. Senator Lummis is cosponsoring the so-called Protect Drug Innovation Act, which aims to reverse the life-changing drug price reforms recently passed into law in the Inflation Reduction Act. The bill would repeal reforms patients fought for years to achieve. It would block Medicare from negotiating lower prices, remove caps on annual price increases which are now limited to the rate of inflation, and raise out-of-pocket costs for millions of Medicare beneficiaries. In response, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now is mobilizing patients and launching digital ads in Wyoming to send a clear message to Senator Lummis: Don’t raise our drug prices.
“Senator Lummis is putting Big Pharma ahead of patients, seeking to reverse provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act that will lower costs for thousands of Wyoming patients and which are supported by almost 80 percent of Americans, including seven out of 10 Republicans,” said David Mitchell, cancer patient and founder and president of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “Patients worked too hard to pass these reforms to lower drug prices; we will not stand still while pro-pharma senators like Senator Cynthia Lummis try to undo it – we will fight back.”
The senators gave the bill the intentionally misleading name of the “Protect Drug Innovation Act,” falling back on Big Pharma’s discredited chestnut that anything to lower prices will stymie innovation. In the wake of the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, investment in biotech stocks rose and a major drug company CEO said his company will do fine under its provisions.
P4ADNow’s campaign includes digital static ads as well as grassroots advocacy, where patients tell Senator Lummis to stand with patients, not Big Pharma.
See ad examples below:
In addition to Wyoming, P4ADNow will also be running ads in Oklahoma, Utah, and Florida where Senators Lankford, Lee, and Rubio also sponsored the bill.
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Patients For Affordable Drugs Now is an independent, bipartisan patient organization focused on policies to lower drug prices. P4ADNow does not accept funding from any organizations that profit from the development or distribution of prescription drugs.
