UPPER NYACK, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global Healthy Living Foundation asserts that health insurance companies are obligated to pass cost savings to patients resulting from the just-announced price reduction for Repatha (evolocumab, Amgen). Repatha is a treatment in the PCSK9 inhibitor class for familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), an inherited disorder that can lead to aggressive and premature cardiovascular disease, and athloscerotic cardiovascular disease.
“The retail price of a drug is often irrelevant to the patient because they don’t pay retail. Instead, they pay a copay, a deductible, and the premium itself to their insurer,” said Louis Tharp, co-founder and executive director of the Global Healthy Living Foundation.
“So, before we applaud a retail price reduction this close to an election, we want to hear the insurance companies say they will lower patients’ actual expenses. Nothing else matters. It is reasonable to expect the Medicare Part D copay for this class of drugs to drop to $25-$50 a month with this retail price reduction – if insurers pass on the savings. If they don’t, it will remain around $300, an unconscionable amount to ask anyone to pay, let alone fixed-income seniors with a life-threatening disease.”
About Global Healthy Living Foundation
The Global Healthy Living Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for people living with chronic illnesses (such as arthritis, osteoporosis, migraine, IBD, psoriasis, and cardiovascular disease) by advocating for improved access to health care at the community, state, and federal levels, and amplifying education and awareness efforts within its social media framework. GHLF is also a staunch advocate for vaccines. The Global Healthy Living Foundation is the parent organization of CreakyJoints, the digital community and advocacy organization for millions of arthritis patients and caregivers worldwide who seek education, support, advocacy, and patient-centered research through ArthritisPower, the first-ever patient-centered research registry for joint, bone, and inflammatory skin conditions. Visit www.GHLF.org for more information.
