Big Pharma needs to be held accountable [link removed] SIGN Our Emergency Petition to
Congress! [link removed] DearJohn, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has unveiled a bold new piece of
legislation [link removed] to lower prescription drug prices and bring much-needed relief to millions of Americans. But many House Republicans are rejecting it outright because they oppose any government negotiation of high drug prices, despite the fact that medications are not simply another consumer good like watches or cars. With no exaggeration, they are essential to Americans' health — and often mean the difference between life and death. Given the drug industry's patent monopolies and suppression of cheaper, generic medications, it has failed spectacularly to provide affordable prescription drugs to consumers, including seniors on fixed incomes.
The heart of Speaker Pelosi's legislation, called the "Lower Drug Costs Now Act" (H.R. 3) [link removed], is allowing Medicare to negotiate directly with drug companies for lower drug costs. It would also tie U.S. drug prices to those paid by other wealthy countries and cap price increases to the rate of inflation. That's why I urge you to sign our Emergency Petition to Congress today [link removed] and help us put pressure on every lawmaker to support this important bill now! John, as you know, Big Pharma has been steadily raising <a alt="Click Here to Learn More" href="[link removed]" name="pet_drug_1" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #004D96; text-align: left;" title="Click Here to Learn More" ><strong><u>drug prices</u></strong></a> during the past two decades, in the absence of any government negotiation authority. Meanwhile, the drug industry's profits have soared, as has CEO compensation. The industry spends billions on lobbying and marketing — more than $6 billion for ads alone in 2018. Incredibly, our Director of Government Relations recalls that a pharmaceutical industry lobbyist at a health care reform gathering a few years ago was heard to say, <em>"If people can’t afford prescription drugs, they should get loans."</em>
It's a David vs. Goliath fight — that's why every American should be engaged in this effort to lower soaring drug costs and hold Big Pharma accountable for their callous drug pricing policies! So please, sign the National Committee's Emergency Petition [link removed] right now! We need to remind every lawmaker what is at stake — the health and welfare of millions of Americans. Now is the time for Congress to step in and restore some fairness to the prescription drug market!
Sincerely, Max Richtman
President & CEO [link removed] [link removed] [link removed] Member contributions to the National Committee, a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization, are not tax-deductible.
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