President Biden visits Culpeper to address rising prescription drug prices

President Joe Biden visited Culpeper on Thursday to discuss ongoing efforts to lower prescription drug costs for Virginians.

At Germanna Community College’s Culpeper County campus, Biden and Seventh District Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger were joined by several Virginians who have been negatively impacted by rising drug prices, as well as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra.

Among those in attendance was Joshua Davis, a 12-year old boy with type 1 diabetes from Midlothian who introduced President Biden.

“Today, one in four Americans who need prescription drugs struggle to afford them — one in four,” Biden said. “Nearly 30 percent have skipped doses of essential drugs they’re supposed to take. Others have simply not filled prescriptions that the doctor had given them, tried to use over-the-counter drugs or pills cut in half because they can’t afford the cost of their prescription.

“This is the United States of America, for God’s sake. That’s just wrong,” Biden said. “It’s simply wrong, especially since it doesn’t cost the drug companies nearly, nearly, nearly, nearly as much to make the drug or the research that went into them.”

Between 2012 and 2017, the average annual cost of prescription drug treatments in Virginia increased by nearly 60 percent, while the annual income for Virginians only increased by 8.5 percent.

During her remarks, Spanberger highlighted why she has long focused on lowering drug costs for Virginia families. She also spoke about her commitment to capping insulin prices for Virginians with diabetes, her continued efforts to give Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices, and the need to actually deliver drug cost-focused legislation to the president’s desk.

“Today is about bringing renewed focus — and more importantly, urgency — to lowering drug prices,” Spanberger said. “Since I first ran for Congress, this issue has been top-of-mind for my constituents. They are outraged that in the United of States of America they have to pay 10 times as much, or more, as what patients in other countries pay for the same medication.

“For our neighbors with common health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or cancer, I consistently hear about how skyrocketing drug prices are making it harder to stay ahead — and harder to plan for the future,” Spanberger said. “I hear about delayed payments on rent or the mortgage. I hear about parents sitting at the dining room table and deciding whether they should drain their child’s education fund to help pay for their child’s medication. And I hear from seniors who are skipping a meal because they cannot afford the medication they need to survive.

“These are the personal experiences of Virginians, of the Virginians I represent — but if you were to throw a dart anywhere on a map of the United States, you would hear these exact same stories,” Spanberger said. “Part of our recovery means stopping these stories from remaining a common refrain. In Congress, I welcome any effort that can deliver lower drug prices to the people I serve. It is worth our time.”

Story by Chris Graham