Prescription Drug Price Hikes Hit Black Americans Hardest as Biden Pushes for Reform

By Stacy M. Brown | NNPA(NNPA) – The fight to lower prescription drug prices is hitting African Americans especially hard. A recent report by Patients for Affordable Drugs reveals that pharmaceutical companies have increased prices on more than 1,000 prescription drugs this year, nearly half of those price hikes exceeding the inflation rate. For many Black and Latino patients, especially those aged 65 and over, the rising costs are becoming unbearable.Black Americans are more likely to suffer from conditions like diabetes, chronic pain, and high blood pressure, which means that these skyrocketing prices have a disproportionately negative impact on them. Enhertu, a drug used to treat HER2-positive breast cancer, has seen its price rise eight times since 2019. This is especially alarming for Black women, who are more likely to die from HER2-positive tumors than white women. Meanwhile, the price of Revlimid, used to treat multiple myeloma, has jumped to over $89,000 per month. Black Americans are more likely to suffer from multiple myeloma and experience worse outcomes.Price hikes force patients to make life-threatening decisions, officials said. Carrol Olinger, a 54-year-old from North Carolina with Type 1 diabetes, described to NBC News a harrowing period when she couldn’t afford her...