Merith Basey MSc

American voters are calling for reforms to drug pricing systems and laws that have been weakened by decades of corporate greed. 📑i-mak.org/2026/02/18/vot…

Big Pharma's abuse of the patent system to keep their profits high has limited patient access to lifesaving prescription drugs for decades but the bipartisan Eliminating Thickets to Improve Competition (ETHIC) Act could change that. The ETHIC Act addresses double patenting giving patients faster access to more affordable prescription drug options. Under this bill, a generic manufacturer would only need to successfully challenge one key patent on a brand-name drug to invalidate duplicative patents. That means the low-value patents Big Pharma has relied on to block competition and keep prices artificially high would be significantly easier to defeat. Big Pharma’s army of lobbyists is working to stop common-sense reforms like the ETHIC Act. Make sure they don’t get their way -- send a letter to your representative urging them to support ETHIC today: tinyurl.com/3bynbf37

ICYMI - New reporting on the latest Rx Price Watch analysis from @AARP shows brand-name drug prices declined 1.4% in 2024 – the first overall drop in the report’s 20-year history – aarp.org/press/releases…

🗣️ P4AD patient advocates like Emily know the powerful impact of sharing their struggles with high drug costs with lawmakers firsthand. Have you been affected by high drug prices? Get involved with advocacy by sharing your story today: actionnetwork.org/forms/base-sto…

Excellent article from Thomas Krause. A linear, logical explanation of a simple truth: creating patent thickets is standard practice and patients pay the price.

💯 P4AD advocate Marge is right. Big Pharma patient abuse isn't just bad for competition, it's bad for patients and their families. Learn how P4AD advocates are fighting back at PatientsPushForCompetition.org

Only in the US would a successful actor be forced 2 leave his family in crippling medical debt as a result of exorbitantly priced cancer meds that sadly failed. A cruel reminder of what is at stake when Big Pharma sets and raises prices on medicines at the expense of patients.

47% of American consumers are worried about their ability to afford health insurance, care, and necessary drugs this year. @aewright, @MerithBasey, @nealemahoney, via @AmCommMedia

We’re jumping on the 2016 trend! In 2016 (and well before), @MerithBasey was part of the fight for lower drug costs. Two decades ago, she was working with children and young people living with type 1 diabetes in Latin America, where she saw what happens when life-saving medicine is priced out of reach. Now in 2026, as our CEO, Merith continues to challenge pharmaceutical industry power, dismantle unjust barriers to access, and advance a system where medicines serve people, not just markets.

Product hopping is just one of the many harmful tactics pharma uses to keep prices high. By abusing the patent system, big drug companies can avoid generic and biosimilar market competition and keep prices high. Learn how we can fight back at PatientsPushForCompetition.Org

Bravo! We'll be pre-ordering at @P4AD_ ! #PharmaGreedKills

ACoM News Briefing Recap | How Soaring Costs Are Reshaping Health Care Access | See More: buff.ly/iDCDapi | A new media briefing explores how rising health care costs are transforming access to care across the United States. With health care spending now accounting for roughly 18 % of America’s GDP and premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act expiring, millions could face sharply higher insurance costs or lose coverage entirely. Experts discuss the drivers behind high prices—including pharmaceuticals and insurance market pressures—how small businesses are impacted, and possible solutions to close growing gaps in coverage and affordability. | #HealthCare #HealthAccess #Affordability #ACoM | Thank You Guest Speakers: @GlobalDiaBEATes (@P4AD_ | @P4ADNOW), @nealemahoney (@StanfordEcon | @SIEPR), and @aewright (@FamiliesUSA)

Thanks to Medicare Negotiation, P4AD Patient Advocate, Jackie Trapp, feels like she can finally focus her energy on fighting her cancer instead of worrying about how she’s going to pay for her medications every month. Her drug, Xarelto, is one of the ten drugs that saw a lower price starting January 1, 2026. In 2023 alone, over one million patients relied on Xarelto to stay alive. If you want to learn more about the positive impact Medicare Negotiation is having on patients, visit: medicarenegotiation.org

We will be closely watching how Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk adapt their patenting schemes to maintain monopoly control and delay affordable options for the GLP-1 market. To date, Novo Nordisk has filed 320 patent applications on its semaglutide products while Eli Lilly has filed 53 on its tirzepatide products. law360.com/classaction/ar…

We will continue to fight for the world that David dreamed of, a world where lifesaving medicines can be within reach of every patient. Rest in power, David.

On Friday, the world lost a fierce patient advocate & a tireless leader who dedicated his life 2 others. Personally, I lost a mentor & a dear friend. I know our team will channel our grief into further action in his honor. It's an understatement 2 say he will be greatly missed.

A statement from Chuck Hurley, Board Chair of Patients For Affordable Drugs and David’s close friend of more than 40 years, honoring David’s life and legacy following his passing on Friday. patientsforaffordabledrugs.org/2026/01/05/rem…

RIP, David Mitchell, founder of Patients for Affordable Drugs and an incredible human being. David entered health policy as a patient. Diagnosed with a form of leukemia and dependent on an expensive medication, he experienced firsthand how opaque pricing could place crushing financial strain on patients. Rather than treating that burden as inevitable, he turned it into a mission. While leading a mission-driven communications firm, David started working with two early grantees of our drug pricing portfolio,@peterbachmd and @icer_review. When he decided to retire from the agency, he wasn't ready to give up his work fighting for fair and sustainable drug pricing. In 2016, he started a patient advocacy org, P4AD. Because he was unwilling to take any money from pharma, philanthropic funding was essential. @Arnold_Ventures was his first call. It was an easy yes. Not only did he never ask for a salary, but he and his wife gave $75k every year to the org. Many people and groups played important roles in getting Medicare negotiation passed into law in 2022 but no one was more important than David. In collecting tens of thousands of patient testimonials, he gave voice to the millions of Americans whose access to medicines is limited by price. “Drugs don’t work if people can’t afford them,” he was fond of saying. David understood the policy details, shaped the strategy, and spoke with unusual clarity, while (sadly) also having a deeply personal connection to the issue. He became the face of the movement, testifying before Congress multiple times and serving as an essential interview for anyone writing on drug pricing. He continued to work full time on P4AD until early 2025, when he stepped back to focus on his health and family. His legacy is a movement that made affordability central to health care reform and ensured that patients have a seat at the table. He will be deeply missed, but his work will live on.

P4AD's Merith Basey @GlobalDiaBEATes and Michael Lieberman @Footnote24 joined McGill to discuss pharma's legal crusade to end drug price negotiations, and how we're fighting back — listen below! open.spotify.com/episode/6Lptc1…

“Expediting the biosimilar approval process – by cutting unnecessary red tape and streamlining duplicative clinical trials – will help speed lower-cost treatments … delivering relief to patients” more from @P4ADNOW on recent @FDA action: patientsforaffordabledrugsnow.org/2025/10/29/sta…