http://youtu.be/p4ZcB-wpnVQ
Wearing shirts that read "Stop Rx Greed," about two dozen AARP members rallied at the downtown Civic Plaza to protest the rising cost of prescription drugs.
Retired attorney Jeanne Hamrick has multiple sclerosis. The chronic autoimmune disease affects her central nervous system, causing fatigue and cognitive issues.
But Hamrick said she felt lucky to be diagnosed shortly after the first injectable medication was introduced in 1993.
“For me the drugs really do work," Hamrick said. "However, I developed some neutralizing antibodies and we had to switch to another injectable and I happened to be allergic to that one so we had to scramble and find something else. The drug I'm on now at least so far is working very well, I'm very grateful to be on it. There's not really anything in the way of symptom management drugs that help with... cognitive issues. So, I'm less expensive than some people that are taking a drug to help them walk and another drug that helps with fatigue.”
Hamrick takes a drug called Aubagio to manage the progression of her symptoms.
But affording the medication has become increasingly difficult. She said the prescription costs her about $300 a month–and that’s with insurance.
"I live on Social Security, disability at 1998 prices," Hamrick said. "Think how much salaries have changed from the 90s 'til now and I get to spend the rest of my life living with 1990s income and paying for these high costs of drugs."
A study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association evaluated the cost of about 50 common top-selling brand-name drugs.
Researchers analyzed Blue Cross Blue Shield pharmacy claims between 2012 and 2017. Over those six years, the median cost of the drugs studied increased more than 75 percent.
In response, AARP launched a nationwide campaign to “Stop Rx Greed.” State Director Buffie Saavedra helped organize the Las Cruces rally, which featured speeches from local and state elected officials. She said people of all ages, including her son, are finding it difficult to afford essential medication.
“I have a son who has asthma. He’s older, he’s in his 20s, he works, he has insurance. He can’t get his prescription for his new inhaler. It’s more than he and I can afford and now he’s having to get samples from his doctor. I mean that’s just ridiculous," Saavedra said. "And then you think about individuals who may not have gainful employment or have health coverage, how they’re getting by, how they’re affording their medications.”
Saavedra added that hundreds of thousands of Americans are choosing to forgo things like food, shelter and transportation in order to buy their medications.
“And we’ve had enough. We feel that Rx greed from the big companies, the big pharma has got to end," Saavedra said. "They put more money into marketing and into advertising than they do into research and development and that’s been the argument over the decades to be honest as to why drug prices are so high. But you know, we’re hoping the communities will join together and join AARP in fighting this cause.”
State Sen. Jeff Steinborn introduced a billthat became law to address the situation. It established an Interagency Pharmaceuticals Purchasing Council. Steinborn said the coalition, made up of nine state agencies, aims to leverage the state’s drug purchasing power for roughly one million New Mexicans.
“State beneficiaries, whether it's Medicaid or whether it's school teachers, that they work together in a new council to see if they can't get a better deal by working together to purchase," Steinborn said. "In addition to that, this law requires this council look at lots of options, over a dozen different options we mention in the law, to include even looking with other states and powering with other states. So, it's really all about cost-containment, lowering prices.”
It’s an issue that has majority support from voters and in Congress.
Take the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act awaiting Senate approval. The legislation would cap out-of-pocket drug costs for those on Medicare and force drug makers to rebate Medicare for raising prices above inflation.
But it’s unclear whether the legislation would lower costs. At a Senate committee hearing, executives from seven major pharmaceutical companies testified they could not commit to lowering prices even though they control those prices.
Saavedra said she and others will keep the pressure on lawmakers.
“The solution is for folks to be active, back the legislation, sign the petitions when you see them around or in the emails that come out from AARP and we are moving forward with this. We have a national army that is up at the White House pushing this issue," Saavedra said.
A petition asking Congress to reduce drug prices is available on AARP’s website.
