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SANTA FE, NM – Barbara Webber, Executive Director of Health Action New Mexico, provided the following statement following a unanimous vote of the Interim Legislative Health and Human Services Committee today endorsing the Prescritpion Drug Affordability Act. A Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB) would regulate prescription drugs with costs that greatly impact New Mexicans, including high-cost, brand name medications. The Board would consider a broad range of economic factors when setting appropriate payment rates for reviewed drugs, allowing pharmaceutical manufacturers the opportunity to justify existing drug costs. Once a fair payment rate is determined, the Board sets an upper payment limit that applies to all purchasers and payor reimbursements in New Mexico, ensuring that lower costs benefit consumers. 

“I applaud the Legislative Health and Human Service Committee’s unanimous endorsement of the Prescription Drug Affordability Act. New Mexicans continue to struggle to afford the medications they need and will benefit from an independent board ensuring they have access to affordable prescription drugs. I urge Governor Lujan Grisham to add the bill to her priority list for the upcoming legislative session,” said Webber

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Barbara Webber, Executive Director, Health Action New Mexico

505-508-6531 (cell) barbara@healthactionnm.org

The committee will hear from state and national experts and assess a range of policy options for controlling prescription drug prices at a day-long meeting beginning tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM in the House Chambers of the State Capitol (webcast).

A range of states, including Colorado, Oregon, Maryland and Maine, have recently enacted legislation to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for rising prescription drug prices. Colorado passed a Prescription Drug Affordability Board this year.

“We are excited New Mexico legislators are taking a full day to inform themselves about options to address critical drug affordability options for our state,” said Barbara Webber, Executive Director of Health Action New Mexico. “Drug costs were out of control before COVID, but it is even worse now. No one should have to choose between their medication and other necessities, like rent and groceries.” In 2020, prices for 460 prescription drugs increased by an average of 5.2 percent – more than triple the rate of inflation – according to an analysis from the health care research firm, 3 Axis Advisors.

• 44 percent of New Mexicans report they have skipped taking medication or not filled a prescription because of cost concerns according to a recent statewide survey.
• On average, Americans pay four times as much for the same medicines as people in other countries.
• The Journal of the American Medical Association reports 35 big drug companies raked in $8.6 trillion in profits between 2000 and 2018.
• Nine of the top ten companies spend more money on marketing and advertising than they do on researching new drugs.

“It is past time for a change,” said Sara Manns, Campaign Director of the New Mexico Coalition for Affordable Prescriptions.  “New Mexico needs an independent body that can evaluate drug costs and set reasonable rates for consumers to pay. With the establishment of the Prescription Drug Affordability Board, New Mexicans will have an advocate to ensure they are not being price gouged by drug companies.”

A Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB) would regulate prescription drugs with costs that greatly impact New Mexicans, including high-cost, brand name medications. High costs can prevent patients from accessing the prescription drugs they need, cause significant affordability issues for the state and threaten public health. The Board would consider a broad range of economic factors when setting appropriate payment rates for reviewed drugs, allowing pharmaceutical manufacturers the opportunity to justify existing drug costs. Once a fair payment rate is determined, the Board sets an upper payment limit that applies to all purchasers and payor reimbursements in New Mexico, ensuring that lower costs benefit consumers. Staffing the Board would be funded by a fee on pharmaceutical manufacturers. Colorado enacted a PDAB this year, joining Maryland and Maine in creating an independent body to make prescription drugs more affordable.“Prescription drug companies are the only businesses in the health care industry whose rates are not regulated. It’s time to hold them to the same standard as all other health care providers. Creating a Prescription Drug Affordability Board is a commonsense solution to hold big drug companies accountable and drive down the cost of prescription drugs,” Webber said.

For more information: Newmexicocap.org

CONTACT: Barbara Webber, Executive Director, Health Action New Mexico 505-508-6531 (cell) barbara@healthactionnm.org

• By Jeff Steinborn and Angelica Rubio, Oct 30, 2021

In Maryland, Maine, Oregon and Colorado, consumers, patients, public health advocates and providers demanding more affordable prescription drugs have succeeded in passing landmark legislation that will finally help manage runaway drug costs.

The New Mexico Legislature should build on this momentum and pass a Prescription Drug Affordability Board next session to help reduce the cost of health care and benefit all New Mexicans.

The heartbreaking stories we’ve all heard about family members, friends and neighbors who continue to struggle to afford the medications they need is backed up by data. A statewide survey conducted by GBAO Strategies found that nearly half of New Mexicans (44 percent) have skipped taking medication or not filled a prescription because of cost concerns. Even during the pandemic, pharmaceutical manufacturers have continued to raise the price of drugs above the rate of inflation. In 2020, prices for 460 prescription drugs increased by an average of 5.2 percent — more than triple the rate of inflation — according to an analysis from the health care research firm, 3 Axis Advisors.

Continue reading here.

State Sen. Jeff Steinborn represents District 36, and state Rep. Angelica Rubio represents District 35 in Doña Ana County.

by Protect Our Care

For 20 years, drug companies have benefited from a law that bans Medicare from negotiating lower prices for patients. As a result, Americans now pay three times more for the same drugs as people do in other countries. Democrats in Congress want to give Medicare the power to negotiate lower prices for all Americans, including people on Medicare and people with private insurance. The Congressional Budget Office found that these reforms could save patients as much as 55 percent on the price of their prescription drugs.

So, like clockwork, Big Pharma has started launching misleading ad campaigns. Almost all of them are channeled through groups with patient friendly names that have one thing in common: drug industry money or connections.

This new report details how the many major ad campaigns currently running against prescription drug price reform are actually backed by pharmaceutical industry funds. The ads are paid for by the same people who profit by keeping the prices artificially high and protecting their monopoly while millions of American families cannot afford life saving medicines.

“From this report, everyone can find out the truth about who’s behind these ad campaigns – and it’s the same drug companies that want to keep prices high and profits skyrocketing,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “Members of Congress can either vote with these drug companies or vote for reforms that lower the price of drugs for patients.
Lives are on the line.”

REVEALED: 8 PHARMA FUNDED AD CAMPAIGNS
As of right now, there are at least eight pharma-backed ad campaigns on the airwaves trying to scare Members of Congress with threats against patients.

American Action Network (AAN)

American Action Network Is Funneling Millions Into Misinformation Campaigns. AAN is currently running a $5 million advertising campaign, claiming the recent budget resolution is “a socialist prescription drug plan that would limit patients’ access to lifesaving medications.” In reality, the resolution would allow Medicare to negotiate fair prescription drug prices, something 88 percent of Americans strongly support. When H.R. 3 was first introduced in 2019, AAN received $4.5 million from PhRMA, the largest contribution made by the trade group that year. AAN then proceeded to run ads opposing H.R. 3 and Medicare drug price negotiation.

American Action Network Has Received Millions From A Pharmaceutical Trade Group. AAN has a long history of accepting funds from the pharmaceutical industry. A year after the group’s formation, AAN took $4.5 million from PhRMA. This trend has continued, with AAN receiving nearly $15 million from PhRMA between 2016 and 2019.

Medicare Today

Medicare Today Is Not Telling The Whole Story. Medicare Today launched an advertising campaign, claiming that 92 percent of seniors are “satisfied” with Medicare. What Medicare Today failed to mention is while seniors support the program, they are also strongly in favor of improving Medicare and lowering drug costs. The majority of seniors support allowing the government to negotiate prescription drug prices (82 percent), placing a limit on out-of-pocket drug costs (68 percent), and lowering the amount Medicare pays for drugs based on amounts in other countries (60 percent).

Medicare Today Was Launched By Big Pharma Executives. Medicare Today was launched in 2004 by the Healthcare Leadership Council, a coalition of health care executives, which includes the pharmaceutical industry. Healthcare Leadership Council includes the drugmakers: Amgen, Biogen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, and Pfizer.

Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease

Partnership To Fight Chronic Disease Is Using Big Pharma’s Tired Scare Tactics. The Partnership To Fight Chronic Disease is running a new advertising campaign claiming drug price negotiation will stifle innovation and reduce patient access to lifesaving drugs. The CBO analyzed the impact of a decrease in pharmaceutical revenue by as much as $1 trillion and found that it would only have a modest impact on drugs coming to market (impacting approximately eight of the 300 new drugs expected in the next decade). Only 10 percent of drugs that have entered the market over the last 50 years have represented therapeutic advances, with drugmakers making deliberate choices not to invest in research and development, and instead focusing resources on obtaining patents on old drugs, in order to “extend patent protection, prolong monopoly pricing periods, and keep generic competitors off the market.”

Partnership To Fight Chronic Disease Is Funded By Big Pharma. It is no wonder why the Partnership To Fight Chronic Disease is working so hard to protect the bottom line ofdrugmakers — they are an affiliate of Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America, which represents biopharmaceutical corporations.

Pharmaceutical Industry Labor-Management Association (PILMA)

PILMA Is Making False Claims That Medicare Price Negotiation Will Damage Innovation. PILMA is running a new advertising campaign, claiming the provisions in H.R. 3 would harm innovation and make it harder for patients to access their medications. This is simply not true
and fails to recognize that under our current system, nearly one in three Americans report not taking a medication as prescribed due to cost. A 2017 report from the National Academies of Medicine found, “drugs that are not affordable are of little value.”

PILMA Cannot Be Trusted With Drug Pricing Reform. PILMA is a coalition of biopharmaceutical companies and labor unions. Americans recognize that Big Pharma is putting profits over people, with 80 percent of Americans reporting the pharmaceutical industry’s profits as a “major factor” for the high cost of prescription drugs.

Heritage Foundation

Prescription Drug Affordability And Innovation Are Not Mutually Exclusive. Heritage Foundation launched a new $860,000 ad campaign, claiming drug price negotiation would push prescription medications out of reach for patients. Deciding between lowering drug prices and ensuring innovation is a false choice. A 2021 report from West Health found that pharmaceutical companies can easily alleviate the impacts of drug price reductions without reducing budgets for research and development. “Price reductions anticipated from [H.R. 3], if properly managed, could have minimal impact on pharmaceutical innovation and the emergence of new products.”

Heritage Foundation Has Been Benefiting From Big Pharma’s Greed. While running shameless scare campaigns, Heritage Foundation has been accepting money hand over fist from drugmakers and their trade groups. In 2019 alone, PhRMA gave a minimum of $375,000 to Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action. Heritage Foundation also has a long history of receiving funds from Big Pharma, including Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Pfizer.

60 Plus Association

60 Plus Association Is Fighting Medicare Price Negotiation. The CBO found Medicare drug negotiation would save patients more than $150 billion at the pharmacy counter, yet 60 Plus Association is running an advertising campaign, attempting to sell Medicare negotiation as a ‘scam’. In reality, it is 60 Plus that has been deceiving the public. In 2016, the Koch Brother affiliated organization was fined by the Federal Election Commission after violating federal rules requiring they identify the source of funds earmarked for political expenditures. 60 Plus, along with two other Koch affiliated groups, consented to pay a total of more than $200,000. The New York Times referred to the investigation as “a look…into the interlocking networks of political nonprofits on the right, through which vast sums of money flow each election cycle with little disclosure.”

60 Plus Association Has Received Millions From The Drug Industry. It is clear who has been holding the reins at 60 Plus. In 2002, 91 percent of its $12 million revenue came from a single donor, which Public Citizen presumes to be PhRMA. 60 Plus has also received money from drugmakers like Pfizer, Merck, and Wyeth-Ayerst.

One Nation

One Nation Is Burying the Lede. One Nation is running a new advertising campaign claiming “good health care is hard enough to get” and that Medicare drug price negotiation would restrict access to lifesaving drugs. What One Nation fails to mention is one of the leading limitations to health care access is the soaring cost of prescription drugs. 29 percent of Americans taking prescription drugs have reported not filling, halving, or skipping a needed prescription due to cost in the past year.

A Big Pharma Lobbyist Sits On One Nation’s Board. One Nation added Ken Cole, former lobbyist for Pfizer and Chamber of Commerce board member, to their board in 2019. Pfizer and the Chamber of Commerce have spent a collective $1 billion on lobbying over the last decade, including on efforts to kill legislation aimed at lowering the cost of prescription drug prices.

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)

PhRMA Is Attempting To Mislead The American People. PhRMA is out with a new advertising campaign intended to make Americans fear Medicare drug price negotiation. The ad made such outrageous claims about restricting patients access to needed medications, the Washington Post gave it a ‘Three Pinachios’ rating and said the ad was PhRMA’s attempt to claim “there are provisions in the legislation that do not exist.” In 2021, a CBO working paper estimated that if Medicare was empowered to negotiate drug prices, they would “fall between 57 percent and 75 percent, relative to current prices.”

PhRMA Cannot Be Trusted With Drug Pricing Reform. PhRMA represents the nation’s leading biopharmaceutical companies. Americans see through the fear tactics used by pharma industry trade groups, with 75 percent of Americans reporting they do not trust the industry to fairly price prescription drugs.

Yahoo Finance: HHS Ready To Battle Drug Companies For Lower Prices In Court: Sec. Becerra

Drug prices are once again in focus on Capitol Hill as lawmakers renew their push for pricing reform. And U.S. Health and Human Services Department Sec. Xavier Becerra has joined in on the effort. “We just have to all agree that this isn’t working. Countries around the world are providing medicine to their people for far less than we do,” Becerra told Yahoo Finance in an exclusive interview Monday, adding that often those same drugs are made in the U.S. Becerra made an appearance alongside U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ-06) and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) in New Jersey Monday at a multi-city event to discuss lower drug costs. (Khemlani, 8/17)

FiercePharma: Buckle Up, Pharma. Your Industry Faces A ‘Pivotal’ 45 Days In D.C., Analyst Warns 

If there was any doubt about the sincerity President Joe Biden wanted to convey with his appeal to Congress on drug pricing reform, he removed it by bringing his departed mom into the discussion. Speaking in the East Room of the White House on Thursday, Biden recalled that Catherine Biden’s “prescription drugs were so expensive” that it took money from himself, his two brothers and a sister to cover the cost so she wouldn’t have to “exhaust the little savings she had.” With that, Biden set the scene for what promises to be a contentious several weeks in Washington as Congress weighs potential measures to combat high drug costs. (Dunleavy, 8/16)

KVOA: AARP Launches Campaign To Lower Prescription Drug Prices

On Monday, AARP launched a three-week television, and radio advertising campaign urging U.S. Senators to support allowing Medicare to use its power to negotiate drug prices with drug manufacturers. The seven-figure investment highlights negotiation as a critical step toward lowering prescription drug costs for all Americans, especially seniors who on average take between four and five medications each month and have a median income of just over $26,000 a year, AARP said. (Nylander, 8/16)

WREX: New Laws Aim To Lower Prescription Drug Prices In Illinois

Governor JB Pritzker Monday signed a package of legislation that aims to address financial obstacles in accessing health care, while increasing transparency when purchasing prescription medications. HB 119 formalizes the legal process for donating unused prescription drugs to certified pharmacies or health departments. By establishing a prescription drug repository program, prescription and over-the-counter medication that remain unexpired and unopened can be returned to pharmacies and reused for eligible populations. (8/17)

By Kurt Rager and Eric Lujan

Aug 14, 2021

In the latest outrage, the New York Times reports the drug manufacturer Biogen will charge $56,000 a year for its new Alzheimer’s drug, Aduhelm.

Drug prices have little to do with the cost of research and development and the need to deliver affordable treatment to patients, and much more to do with company revenue targets and profits. Biogen’s stock soared nearly 40 percent on news of the $56,000 price tag. Prescription drug companies are the only businesses in the health care industry whose rates are not regulated. It’s time to hold them to the same standard as all other health care providers.

New Mexico needs a prescription drug affordability board to help ensure we all have access to affordable medications, because drugs don’t work if people can’t afford them, and our health care system cannot sustain the continued upward pressure of rising drug costs. By creating such a board, the state Legislature and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham can empower an independent body with the authority to evaluate high-cost drugs and set reasonable rates for consumers.

Other states are already acting to take on the pharmaceutical industry’s anti-consumer practices. The Colorado Legislature just passed a prescription drug board that will consider a broad range of economic factors when setting appropriate payment rates for reviewed drugs, requiring pharmaceutical manufacturers to justify drug costs. Once a fair rate is determined, the board sets an upper payment limit that applies to all purchasers and payer reimbursements in the state, ensuring lower costs benefit consumers.

The bill sets various conditions that would trigger an affordability review, including when prices increase by more than 10 percent per year, or exceed either $30,000 a year for brand-name drugs or $100 a month for generics per person. Patients or consumer advocates also could nominate drugs for review.

New Mexicans continue to struggle to afford the prescription drugs they need, often having to choose between their medication and other necessities, like rent and groceries. Meanwhile, the drug companies that produce these drugs make billions of dollars a year in profits.

The Journal of the American Medical Association reports 35 big drug companies raked in $8.6 billion in profits between 2000 and 2018. Nine of the top 10 companies spend more money on marketing and advertising than they do on researching new drugs. There is no excuse for the high prices they charge.

A new statewide coalition of health experts, patient advocates and consumers — New Mexico Consumers for Affordable Prescriptions — is urging our lawmakers to create a prescription drug affordability board and end the prescription drug price gouging that hurts our families and neighbors. Organizations ranging from AARP, the Center on Law and Poverty, Health Action New Mexico, to New Mexico Voices for Children and the New Mexico Conference of Churches, have come together to demand action in the 2022 legislative session.

On average, Americans pay four times as much for the same medicines as people in other countries. As prescription drug companies continue to increase prices, it’s time to stand up to those who are harming vulnerable New Mexicans. We need controls to make drugs more affordable for people. New Mexico needs a prescription drug affordability board.

Kurt Rager is director of Lutheran Advocacy Ministry, New Mexico, and Erik Lujan is board president of Health Action New Mexico.

By Saja Hindi | shindi@denverpost.com | The Denver Post June 8, 2021 at 12:37 p.m.

As prescription drug costs go up, the Colorado Legislature passed a bill Tuesday that lawmakers hope will make a dent in those prices.

SB21-175 would create a prescription drug affordability board that would be charged with reviewing medication costs as well as setting a ceiling for some of those drug costs. State officials estimate between 100-125 categories of drugs will be eligible for review, according to Kaiser Health News.

Gov. Jared Polis supported the bill, which is expected to be signed into law. Pharmaceutical companies and Republicans were against it.

Starting April 1, 2022, the board can set limits for only 12 drugs per year for a three-year period (though it can still review additional drugs and make policy recommendations). The review can be triggered by any of the following: Drugs increase by more than 10% over a one-year period for a one-year supply; a brand-name drug costs more than $30,000 per year; or a generic drug costs $100 or more per month. Coloradans can also ask the board to review certain prescriptions.

“For a lot of drugs, there’s a strong reason to believe the prices are set because of what the market will bear, rather than any sort of justification for the investment that went into them,” said Lakewood Democratic Sen. Chris Kennedy, one of the bill’s sponsors. “And in those cases, we’re going to fight to reduce the cost, and I think it’s going to be very meaningful in terms of savings for Coloradans.”

Maryland is the only other state with a drug affordability board, but it is more limited than Colorado’s proposal, Kennedy said.

About 1 in 3 Coloradans struggle to afford their prescription drugs, according to the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative. Some end up cutting their pills their pills into smaller doses, not taking them as often as prescribed or not refilling their prescriptions.

An April 20-26 poll conducted by Keating Research on behalf of the Colorado Consumer Initiative found 77% of respondents across party lines supported creating a prescription drug affordability board.

House Minority Leader Hugh McKean, a Loveland Republican, believes the bill gives too much authority to Colorado’s commissioner of insurance, and would end up hurting consumers rather than helping them.

“My concern is that (the board) will create upper payment limits that are more aspirational than realistic,” McKean told The Denver Post. That could lead companies to stop offering drugs that people need because they can’t afford to make them, he said.

By Kurt Rager / Director, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry, New Mexico and Erik Lujan / Board President, Health Action New Mexico

Sunday, July 4th, 2021 at 12:02am

Drug prices have little to do with the cost of research and development and the need to deliver affordable treatment to patients and much more to do with company revenue targets and profits. Biogen’s stock soared nearly 40% on news of the $56,000 price tag. Prescription drug companies are the only businesses in the health care industry whose rates are not regulated. It’s time to hold them to the same standard as all other health care providers.

New Mexico needs a Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB) to help ensure we all have access to affordable medications, because drugs don’t work if people can’t afford them, and our health care system cannot sustain the continued upward pressure of rising drug costs. By creating a PDAB, the Legislature and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham can empower an independent body with the authority to evaluate high-cost drugs and set reasonable rates for consumers to pay.

Other states are already acting to take on the pharmaceutical industry’s anti-consumer practices. The Colorado Legislature just passed a PDAB that will consider a broad range of economic factors when setting appropriate payment rates for reviewed drugs, requiring pharmaceutical manufacturers to justify drug costs. Once a fair payment rate is determined, the board sets an upper payment limit that applies to all purchasers and payor reimbursements in the state, ensuring that lower costs benefit consumers.

The bill sets various conditions that would trigger an affordability review, including when prices increase by more than 10% per year, or exceed either $30,000 a year for brand-name drugs or $100 a month for generics per person. Patients or consumer advocates could also nominate drugs for review.

New Mexicans continue to struggle to afford the prescription drugs they need, often having to choose between their medication and other necessities, like rent and groceries. Meanwhile, the drug companies that produce these drugs make billions of dollars a year in profits. The Journal of the American Medical Association reports 35 big drug companies raked in $8.6 billion in profits between 2000 and 2018. Nine of the top 10 companies spend more money on marketing and advertising than they do on researching new drugs. There is no excuse for the high prices they charge.

A new statewide coalition of health experts, patient advocates and consumers – New Mexico Consumers for Affordable Prescriptions – is urging lawmakers to create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board and end prescription drug price gouging that hurts our families and neighbors. Organizations ranging from AARP, the Center on Law and Poverty and Health Action New Mexico to New Mexico Voices for Children and the New Mexico Conference of Churches have come together to demand action in the 2022 legislative session.

On average, Americans pay four times as much for the same medicines as people in other countries. As prescription drug companies continue to increase prices, it’s time to stand up to those who are harming vulnerable New Mexicans. We need controls to make drugs more affordable for people. New Mexico needs a Prescription Drug Affordability Board.