Patients For Affordable Drugs Now Launches Washington Campaign Urging Rep. Strickland To Lower Drug Prices By Supporting H.R. 3

WASHINGTON — Patients For Affordable Drugs Now kicks off a campaign today calling on Rep. Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) to support swift passage of H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, a comprehensive package of drug pricing reforms that includes allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prices for Washingtonians. The campaign includes digital advertising and grassroots advocacy urging Rep. Strickland to deliver on her campaign promise “to give Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices, forcing pharmaceutical companies to lower prices across the board.” 

“Our message to Rep. Strickland is clear: You have a choice. You can stand with Big Pharma, which is fighting against lower drug prices for your constituents, or stand with patients as you promised during your campaign,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “Allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices enjoys overwhelming bipartisan support from 88 percent of Americans. Washingtonians need Rep. Strickland to lend her full support to H.R. 3 — the principal Medicare negotiation bill in the House of Representatives — to ensure we get affordable medicines we need now and innovation for the future.”

H.R. 3 was recently reintroduced in the House of Representatives. The chamber passed the bill in the 116th Congress. H.R. 3 is a comprehensive bill that will lower prices, rein in price gouging, and reduce out-of-pocket costs by restoring balance to the U.S. drug pricing system to ensure both innovation and affordability.

The campaign is part of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now’s seven-figure national campaign launching simultaneously in 42 House districts across 22 states and in D.C. It comes on the heels of Big Pharma’s recent attack adloaded with lies about H.R. 3.

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OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington patients are one step closer to relief from skyrocketing prescription drug prices. SB 5292 and HB 1224 — legislation that would shed light on drug manufacturers’ pricing behavior — passed key policy committees recently and heads to the fiscal committees this week. Given the recent momentum, patients are speaking out about the devastating impact of rising drug prices and explaining how drug pricing legislation would help protect the state and residents from price hikes. 
 
“Washington residents have been sending a clear message to lawmakers in support of the state’s effort to shed a light on rising prescription drug prices,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “We all pay for Pharma’s unfettered greed, and Washington residents are struggling to fill both the kitchen pantry and the medicine cabinet. The status quo needs to change, and SB 5292 and HB 1224 are a step in the right direction.”
 
Patients Take Action: Last week, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now launched a new digital campaign to give Washington residents tools to contact their elected officials in support of measures to address rising drug prices. The campaign has included:

• Patients testifying: Mike Gaffney, of Olympia, testified earlier this month that he lives with a rare form of blood cancer called multiple myeloma. The price for his cancer medication, Revlimid, skyrocketed 20 percent in 2017 alone. The drug now costs $250,000 a year.
• Letter-writing campaign: 2,422 Washington residents have written to state lawmakers in support of the measures.
• Digital ads: Facebook ads allowed residents to contact their senators and representatives in support of the proposed changes.

Washington Legislation would:

• Require drug corporations to report drug price increases impacting Washingtonians.
• Require drug manufacturers to justify those increases to the state.
• Mandate that the state analyze the data and provide annual reports to the public.

Patients Speak Out:

• Teresa Hartley of Blaine lives with a life-threatening disease called Wegener’s Granulomatosis. High costs for her medications, Cytoxan and Rituxan, forced the retired psychotherapist to file for bankruptcy. Teresa said: “I am a senior citizen on a fixed income, and there are others like me in the state of Washington. If I did not have health insurance, the price of the drugs I had to take would have led to my death. I already lost my livelihood due to high healthcare costs. I don’t want to lose my life. Washingtonians deserve legislation that works to lower drug prices, because drugs don’t work if people can’t afford them.”
   
• Tori Howard of Seattle has a college-aged son living with Type 1 diabetes. She watched her son’s insulin costs rise from $60 to $2,000 per month in 14 years. Today, he rations insulin, permanently damaging his health to afford the lifesaving drug he needs. She said: “Not being able to keep his blood numbers in a good range because of rationing is causing irreversible damage to his body. He is already having diabetic nerve pain in his legs, heart problems, and damage to his sight.”
   
• Chrystal Beard of Auburn lives with bipolar disorder, and without her medication, Pristiq, would be unable to get out of bed. She told P4ADNow: “Without this medication, I fear for my life. In the past, the cost of my medication has skyrocketed. When I was between insurances, my sister had to help me pay for my medications because I’m on a fixed income on disability. She was forced to pay over $1,500 a month for my medication during that time. Nobody should have to pay that price to maintain their mental health.”

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OLYMPIA, Wash. — As key hearings are expected this week on two drug pricing bills in the Washington state legislature, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now launched a new digital campaign to give Washington residents tools to contact their elected officials in support of measures to address rising drug prices. The bills — SB 5292 and HB 1224 — would shed much-needed light into the pricing tactics of drug companies. By requiring that Big Pharma report and provide explanations for increases in drug prices, the bills are an important step toward ensuring that all patients can afford the medications they need.
 
“Passing this legislation would mean drug corporations won’t be able to blindside patients and taxpayers with arbitrary price hikes,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “Washingtonians deserve to know why their drugs are so expensive, and SB 5292 and HB 1224 are a step in the right direction.”
 
Each bill is scheduled for key committee votes this week, and patients have already begun to send letters in support of the bill. Washington’s drug pricing legislation would help protect the state and residents like retired forester Mike Gaffney from price hikes. Gaffney, of Olympia, testified earlier this month that he lives with a rare form of blood cancer called multiple myeloma. The price for his cancer medication, Revlimid, skyrocketed 20 percent in 2017 alone. The drug now costs $250,000 a year.
 
SB 5292 and HB 1224 would:

• Require drug corporations to report drug price increases impacting Washingtonians.
• Require drug manufacturers to justify those increases to the state.
• Mandate that the state analyze the data and provide annual reports to the public.

The Facebook ads above are part of a five-figure campaign in support of legislation to lower drug prices. The interactive digital tools allow residents to contact their senators and representatives in support of the proposed changes.
 
Patients For Affordable Drugs Now is a bipartisan national patient organization focused exclusively on policies to lower drug prices. To maintain its independence, the group does not accept donations from organizations that profit from the development and distribution of prescription drugs.

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OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington state lawmakers can take a stand today on one of the most important issues facing residents — rising prescription drug prices. This morning, a Washington House committee will hold a hearing on SB 5292, a drug price transparency measure. Currently, drug companies raise the prices of prescription drugs with no advance notice or explanation, making it impossible for the state of Washington and its residents to prepare for price increases. The bill would shed much-needed light into the pricing tactics of drug companies. By requiring Big Pharma to report and provide explanations for increases in drug prices, this bill is an important step toward ensuring that all patients can afford the medications they need.
 
Testifying at the House committee meeting today is retired forester Mike Gaffney from Olympia. Mike lives with a rare form of the blood cancer called multiple myeloma. The price for his cancer medication, Revlimid, skyrocketed 20 percent in 2017 alone. The drug now costs $250,000 a year.
 
“On behalf of more than 6,200 patients in Washington engaged in efforts to lower prescription drug prices, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, a bipartisan national patient organization, strongly endorses Washington’s transparency efforts,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now.
 
The measure, SB 5292, would:

• Require that health insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers provide a list to the Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) of the most frequently prescribed drugs, costliest drugs, and drugs with the highest year-over-year increases.
• Require drug corporations to compile a list of drugs that meet a certain threshold in price increases and will have a significant impact on state expenditures.
• Require drug manufacturers to list justification of those increases to the HCA.
• Mandate that the HCA analyze the data and provide annual reports to the state Legislature. 

If passed, the legislation would ensure drug corporations won’t be able to blind side Washington patients or taxpayers with arbitrary price hikes. This bill is long overdue and a step in the right direction.

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