“There is no silver bullet here. We need to balance affordability, access and innovation whether or not Medicare is directly involved in price negotiations. We can only strike that balance when the market has transparency and competition, and purchasers can pay for value.”

“This is further evidence that skyrocketing drug prices are more widespread than a few bad actors. When major drug companies hike prices on common prescription drugs, Americans suffer. Families are forced to decide between paying for prescriptions or paying bills, and that’s wrong.”

While it’s unconscionable that hedge fund pharmaceutical companies like Turing and Retrophin purchase treatments and suddenly raise prices, the current model in which drug companies raise prices year after year is just as bad for patients – and, frankly, unsustainable for our entire health care system.

Today the National Coalition on Health Care Action Fund announced that the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has officially joined the coalition’s Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing. The American Academy of Neurology represents 30,000 members and is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care.

“Companies are buying decades-old prescription drugs and jacking up prices on vulnerable patients. It’s unconscionable. We need more transparency and competition in the prescription drug market to protect Americans from this appalling practice.”

“Recently, the FDA took an important first step in acknowledging the need to introduce more competition by prioritizing generic applications where there is no competition. This effort will give patients better access to affordable treatments,” said John Rother, executive director of the Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing.

Today the National Coalition of Health Care announced that AARP has officially joined the coalition’s Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of nearly 38 million Americans and shares the Campaign’s goal of finding market-based solutions to reverse the trend of high and rising prescription drug prices.

Seven presidential candidates are still in the race heading into Super Tuesday and all of them are talking about rising prescription drug prices. While they differ in their solutions to this epidemic, candidates on both sides of the aisle agree that drug prices are rising at an unsustainable rate.

“Today’s AARP report provides new evidence that drug companies are raising prescription drug prices on patients indiscriminately. Specialty and branded drugs alike are going up six times faster than inflation. The exorbitant increases make health care more expensive for families, taxpayers, and job creators and put a major strain on federal and state governments. It’s going to take market-based policy solutions to deal with this unsustainable trend.”

Over the next few days, Nevadans of both political parties will caucus to choose their presidential nominee — the Democrats on Saturday, and Republicans on Tuesday in the first-of-the-West caucuses. As candidates travel the state in an effort to woo potential caucus-goers, there will be many public policy disagreements.