If you’re reading this newsletter, you know all too well that Americans pay the highest drug prices in the world. But in an industry that has perfected the art of finger-pointing to avoid accountability, it’s encouraging that the public isn’t confused about who’s to blame. Americans know that anti-competitive pharmaceutical monopolies are driving the drug pricing crisis. 9 in 10 Americans support making it easier for generics to come to market and notably, over 80% of Americans support changes to patent laws to address drug prices.
These findings come from a nationwide survey that we commissioned from the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin and Marshall College. The data reveals strong bipartisan support for reform measures, particularly patent system changes that could increase market competition and reduce prices. Together, they provide policymakers with clear evidence of public support for addressing prescription drug costs.
While some skeptics dismiss patent reform as too technical or wonky for the American public to grasp, this survey confirms what we at I-MAK have long known: patent abuse only seems complicated because it has been kept in the dark.
Onwards,
Tahir
Relevant News Rundown
- We launched the survey with a webinar featuring Senator Peter Welch (D-VT), Berwood Yost of the Center for Opinion Research, Emily Pisacreta of An Arm and a Leg podcast, and myself. If you missed it, you can watch the recording here.
- The New York Times reported on Colorado’s effort to curb the price of Enbrel. As Rebecca Robbins details, Amgen—the company that markets Enbrel—has relied on legal loopholes and patenting schemes to create a 30-year monopoly over the drug.
- During a recent Senate HELP Committee hearing on 340B reform, physician and health policy researcher Dr. William Feldman reminded senators that “340B reform on its own will not lower pharmaceutical prices”, while urging them to address patent abuse. Watch his exchanges with Senators Maggie Hassan (D-VT) and Josh Hawley (R-MO).
- The Trump Administration announced a “most-favored nation” Executive Order and a new direct-to-consumer website, TrumpRX, to lower drug prices. In STAT, I explained why neither approach will work and why policymakers should instead focus on the bipartisan effort to curb patent abuse.