Patients for Affordable Drugs Now

Patients for Affordable Drugs Now
Name	Patients for Affordable Drugs Now
Formation	2014
Type	Nonprofit advocacy group
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Leaders	Mark Merritt (President, CEO)
Mission	Reduce prescription drug prices; increase access to medicines

Patients for Affordable Drugs Now

Patients for Affordable Drugs Now is a United States advocacy organization focused on lowering prescription drug costs and increasing access to medicines. Founded in 2014, the group conducts campaigns, lobbies lawmakers, partners with patient groups, and engages in public education to shape health policy debates. Its activities intersect with debates in United States Congress, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and state legislatures.

History

The organization was established in 2014 amid policy fights visible during the 2014 United States elections, the aftermath of high-profile pricing controversies such as those involving Turing Pharmaceuticals and executives like Martin Shkreli, and during franchise debates tied to the Affordable Care Act implementation. Early activities connected the group to coalitions that included AARP, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, and state-level advocates in California, New York, and Texas. Across the 2016 United States presidential election and the 2020 United States presidential election, Patients for Affordable Drugs Now engaged with lawmakers from the Democratic Party and occasional allies in the Republican Party over proposals in the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, and state initiatives modeled on importation or drug pricing transparency laws. The group’s timeline includes strategic responses to rulings from the Supreme Court of the United States, regulatory actions by the Federal Trade Commission, and legislative cycles in the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.

Mission and Objectives

Patients for Affordable Drugs Now states objectives centered on reducing out-of-pocket costs, increasing competition, and reforming patent and rebate systems. It frequently advocates policy changes related to Medicare, Medicaid, and reforms of the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act. The group supports legislative proposals like provisions in the Build Back Better discussions and elements resembling the Affordable Care Act’s patient protections. Its public positions reference statutory frameworks such as the Bayh–Dole Act and litigation involving the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to argue for adjustments to intellectual property regimes affecting pharmaceuticals. The organization frames its goals alongside health advocates including Families USA, Community Catalyst, and disease-specific groups like American Diabetes Association and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Campaigns and Advocacy

Campaigns have targeted corporations including PhRMA members, multinational firms such as Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co., Eli Lilly and Company, Novartis, Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, and Sanofi. The group has promoted initiatives such as Medicare negotiation, transparency in pricing, limits on prescription drug monopolies, and importation from Canada. Tactics include digital organizing, media buys targeting outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN, op-eds in publications including Politico and The Hill, and coalition lobbying during markup sessions in the United States Senate Committee on Finance and the United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Campaigns have engaged patient leaders who previously worked with Susan G. Komen, American Heart Association, and Alzheimer's Association to elevate stories before hearings involving senators such as Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Chuck Schumer, and representatives like Frank Pallone.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

The organization is led by executives and overseen by a board composed of advocates, former staffers from groups like Families USA and Health Care for America Now, and professionals with experience in campaigns rooted in Progressive change networks. Leadership includes a president/CEO role held by Mark Merritt and staff with experience in policy, communications, and grassroots mobilization. The group’s operations span lobbying in Washington, D.C., state-level outreach in capitals such as Sacramento and Austin, and partnerships with legal advocacy groups that engage with courts including the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources reported for the organization include grants from philanthropic entities and donations coordinated through foundations that support health policy advocacy. Partner organizations and donors have included national nonprofits such as Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded projects, collaboratives with Open Society Foundations-aligned initiatives, and alliances with disease-specific organizations like Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The group has worked alongside policy research institutions such as Kaiser Family Foundation, Brookings Institution, and Urban Institute on analyses and public education materials. It has also interacted with investigative outlets and watchdogs such as ProPublica and Public Citizen on transparency and accountability campaigns.

Impact and Criticism

Patients for Affordable Drugs Now has contributed to public attention on drug pricing, influenced legislative language in debates over negotiation and reimbursement, and mobilized patient stories that informed congressional hearings. Supporters point to alignment with leaders in Medicare policy reform and successful visibility during passage of provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Critics, including trade associations like PhRMA and some industry-aligned commentators in The Wall Street Journal, argue the group’s positions risk reducing incentives for pharmaceutical innovation and have questioned the role of foundation funding in shaping advocacy. Legal scholars from institutions such as Harvard University, Yale University, and Columbia University have published divergent views on the balance between price controls and intellectual property protection, referencing cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The organization remains a prominent actor in ongoing disputes over patent law, market entry for generics and biosimilars, and the scope of federal authority in pharmaceutical pricing.

Category:Health advocacy organizations in the United States