“For a breakthrough medication to be effective, it needs to be affordable, yet drug makers fail time and time again to abide by this fundamental principle. The Campaign commends the Senate Special Committee on Aging for challenging the pharmaceutical industry on the irresponsible pricing strategies that deliberately deny patients and consumers access to affordable treatments." Read More
Pfizer’s multistep pricing process shows drugmakers don’t just pick a lofty figure out of the air. At the same time, its process yielded a price that bore little relation to the drug industry’s oft-cited justification for its prices, the cost of research and development. Instead, the price that emerged was largely based on a complex analysis of the need for a new drug with this one’s particular set of benefits and risks, potential competing drugs, the sentiments of cancer doctors and a shrewd assessment of how health plans were likely to treat the product. Read More
Candidates on both sides of the aisle are talking about the harmful impact price tags have on Americans and the facts have been proven time after time: prescription drugs prices are simply out of control. Read More
“This latest analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation paints a troubling picture for the future of the Medicare Part D program and beneficiaries who rely on access to affordable treatments." Read More
“This rapid increase, which was the highest rate since 2002, was in part due to the introduction of new drug treatments for hepatitis C, as well as of those used to treat cancer and multiple sclerosis,” the administration said. The new treatments for hepatitis C, which are highly effective, accounted for $11.3 billion in new spending. Read More
“As we all focus on how to ensure patients get the medications they need at an affordable price, we commend Senators Wyden and Grassley for undertaking this important investigation and for raising awareness around this rapidly growing issue for both sides of the aisle." Read More
"While the adjusted price of Daraprim is an improvement from its original price tag, it is clear that this critical treatment is still priced far out of reach for many Americans. This same medication can be purchased overseas for $.66 a pill -- a fraction of what it costs in the U.S. -- which makes us question how the pharmaceutical industry can justify their outrageous and harmful pricing strategies." Read More
PhRMA often uses “retail prescription medicines” and “prescription medicines” interchangeably in discussing the total cost of drugs to the U.S. health care system. PhRMA also makes sure to note regularly that drug spending accounts for "only 10 percent" of all healthcare spending. Read More
"With presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle actively talking about unsustainable prescription drug pricing, the issue is clearly bigger than politics — it’s about protecting American families and ensuring they can access the critical treatments they need at prices they can afford." Read More
A new survey from the Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing with polling conducted by Morning Consult shows voters in important early primary states, like Iowa, see prescription drug pricing as a hot-button, bipartisan political issue in the 2016 presidential election. Read More
"Simply put, voters are looking for relief from astronomical drug prices and favor candidates who understand this is a pocketbook issue for American families," said John Rother, executive director of the coalition. Read More
Former neurosurgeon Ben Carson, in little-reported remarks made in Iowa and posted online by the Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing, acknowledged as much. “As far as Big Pharma is concerned, you know, they’re in it to make money. And I understand that. But we need to have some alternative ways, because we need to be able to take care of our people,” Carson said. Read More