Hi Pamela, My name is Merith Basey, and I'm the Executive Director of Patients For Affordable Drugs, the only national patient advocacy organization fighting exclusively on system-changing policies that lower drug prices. Critically, we don't take any funding from any group that profits from the sale or distribution of prescription drugs. I'd like to tell you about Karen from Pueblo West, Colorado. Karen uses the medication Farxiga to manage her diabetes but struggles to afford the hefty $600 price tag for a 3-month supply. That price will be lowered for Karen due to the new Medicare drug price negotiation program introduced as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. But now, AstraZeneca, the pharmaceutical corporation that manufactures Farxiga, is trying to stop the implementation of the program. They believe their profits are more important than Karen affording her prescription. Despite having already raked in $4.3 billion from the sale of the drug in 2022 in the U.S. alone.1 Threatened by the prospect of losing their power to set drug prices, major pharmaceutical corporations, including AstraZeneca, have filed nine lawsuits and are spending millions of dollars to undermine this historic program that would finally deliver relief to millions of patients. That's why we're calling on the CEOs of the pharma companies to withdraw their unconscionable lawsuits attempting to block drug price negotiation provisions. Despite these legal challenges, patients and advocates are gaining ground. Three judges have ruled against the pharmaceutical industry and in favor of patients. But with more legal showdowns looming and a likely escalation to the Supreme Court, the fight to protect Medicare negotiation is far from over. Join us and over 150,000 people and more than 70 groups, including Social Security Works in demanding these CEOs immediately withdraw their lawsuits against Medicare negotiation. These lawsuits directly oppose the interests of patients and taxpayers who overwhelmingly support this program. Medicare's ability to negotiate drug prices is a critical step toward making medications more affordable for millions of Americans, especially seniors and those with limited financial resources. Join us in demanding that patients, not profits, come first. It's US v Pharma. Merith Basey (she/her) Executive Director, Patients For Affordable Drugs 1 https://www.astrazeneca.com/content/dam/az/PDF/2022/fy/Full-year-and-Q4-2022-results-announcement.pdf |
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