AFT weighs in as Congress looks at prescription drug costs

A number of Americans taking prescription drugs say that in the past year they or a family member have not filled a prescription (24 percent) or skipped a dose or cut pills in half (19 percent) because of the cost, according to a recent Kaiser poll. This is one reason why most Americans want to see government action to lower prescription drug costs. They also want to make sure that high-cost drugs for chronic conditions, such as HIV, hepatitis, mental illness and cancer, are affordable for those who need them.

On Dec. 9, the Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing to examine the causes, impacts and potential solutions to dramatic price increases of certain prescription drugs in recent years. The lawmakers, led by chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) and ranking member Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), investigated recent instances of abrupt and dramatic price increases in prescription drugs that are no longer protected by patents.

"There's a line at which huge price increases on prescription drugs go from rewarding innovation to price gouging," said McCaskill. "In particular, when these price hikes occur without any therapeutic changes or improvements to the drug, it raises troubling questions about whether companies are taking advantage of the patients who depend on their products for survival."

In a letter to the committee, AFT President Randi Weingarten wrote on behalf of the more than 120,000 doctors, nurses and other health professionals the AFT represents. "I frequently hear stories from our members of patients who are missing needed medicine because they are forced to choose between their health needs, paying their mortgage and buying food." Weingarten's  testimony was a part of the AFT’s ongoing Patients Before Profits campaign. She  urged the committee to conduct an investigation that would result in stronger anti-trust laws to limit consolidation in the pharmaceutical industry and to review the patent system to limit delays in the introduction of generic drugs. "Drastic, unsustainable price increases can be alleviated through adequate checks on large monopolies, patent review that increases competition and transparency in pricing."

In his testimony, Gerard Anderson, the director of the Center for Hospital Finance and Management and a professor with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, discussed how rapid price increases in the last few years have adversely affected people with chronic conditions.

Over the years, Anderson pointed out, we have seen higher prices and shortages of common generic drugs, such as doxycycline (for infections), propofol (for anesthesia), digoxin (for heart failure), pravastatin (for high cholesterol) and naloxone (an antidote for heroin abuse).

"Several years ago, access to generic drugs was reasonably good, but in the last five to 10 years, the competitive market for generic pharmaceuticals has begun to break down," he said. "The prices began to increase as the generic pharmaceutical industry started to consolidate. This breakdown has resulted in drug shortages. When patients have limited access due to high prices, they often end up in the hospital with worsening of their medical condition."

[Adrienne Coles]