But I live in fear that we won’t be able to afford his medication from Vertex. I live in fear that stock buybacks and CEO pay raises will come before lowering the price of Eli’s drugs. That’s why I decided to fight back. That’s why I’m calling on all shareholders and the cystic fibrosis community to demand Vertex use its windfall in corporate tax breaks to lower the price of Cystic Fibrosis drugs.

WASHINGTON, DC — Patients For Affordable Drugs sent a petition with more than 1,000 signatures demanding pharmaceutical giant AbbVie stop delaying the introduction of biosimilar alternatives to Humira, a move that hurts patients by keeping prices high.

The company announced in April it had inked a deal with manufacturer Samsung Bioepis that would guarantee AbbVie market exclusivity on Humira — the world’s top-selling drug — through 2023. It’s the second deal the drugmaker has signed in the last year to stifle competition and maintain high prices in the US.

WASHINGTON, DC — President Trump today gave a highly-anticipated speech on his Administration’s plans to lower drug prices. He railed against high prices and a rigged system, and we appreciate that he brought the rhetorical heat. But we must judge this set of proposals based on the substance and the standard the president set himself in his State of the Union Address: “Prices will come down, watch.”

“Today’s announcement contains some good, some bad, and some missing components to lower drug prices,” said David Mitchell, a patient with incurable cancer and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs.

This terrible federal policy, and these drug prices, put my son’s health at grave risk. How long can the system continue to absorb these kinds of costs?

Abbvie made moves recently to ensure no generic versions will enter the market for at least five more years. The impact of these maneuvers translates to $15,000 for us, money we could use for retirement, or my son’s college fund.

WASHINGTON, DC — Patients For Affordable Drugs' Executive Director, Ben Wakana, issued the following statement regarding the news that PhRMA, the pharmaceutical industry’s main trade organization, broke a record for money spent lobbying in the first quarter of 2018.

“Drug corporations are running scared. The public knows the truth about America’s rigged prescription drug pricing system, so PhRMA is doing what PhRMA does best, lobbying lawmakers behind closed doors. Patients are demanding lower drug prices, and in response, PhRMA fattened its lobbying budget, revealing the industry’s true priorities.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Patients For Affordable Drugs (P4AD) called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate a pay-for-delay deal cut by the pharmaceutical giant AbbVie. In a letter to Congress and the Federal Trade Commission, the patient group asked the FTC to investigate whether AbbVie’s recent deal with Samsung Bioepis is anti-competitive and violates antitrust laws.

“AbbVie is using pay-for-delay deals to keep a cheaper generic off the market and patients are the victims," said David Mitchell, president and co-founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs. “We believe it is illegal and anti-competitive, and we are asking the FTC to step in and protect patients from AbbVie’s price hikes.”