Letter to the Editor: High prescription drug prices are ‘a matter of life and death’

High drug prices are hurting too many Delaware families like mine.

I live with lupus and  fibromyalgia and take 12 medications a day. I am on a fixed income, and I have to scrimp and save just to be able to eat. I can’t afford all of my prescriptions, including the blood thinner Eliquis, which is priced at $500 per month. Instead, I take a cheaper drug that gives me a higher risk of bleeding.

Additionally, my husband has prostate cancer and is prescribed the drug Xtandi, which has a list price of $12,000 a bottle. He’s able to receive it through grants, but it’s awful to think we could lose them at any time.

I recently met with Sen. Carper’s office to urge him to vote for the Build Back Better Act with the drug pricing provisions intact to help patients like me, and I am relieved that the senator supports the reforms.

The Build Back Better Act would help me save money by capping the amount I owe each year at $2,000 and enabling Medicare to negotiate lower prices for some of the most expensive drugs. In fact, both Eliquis and Xtandi could be eligible for negotiation in the first few years.

I’m counting on both Senators Carper and Coons to help patients get the medications we need by voting for the Build Back Better Act. For us, it’s a matter of life and death.

Vanessa Ladson

Magnolia