Ask your Legislator to support the EPIC Act

The EPIC Act (H.R.7174) needs your support to protect and advance the development of new treatments for mental illness. Most psychiatric medications must be small molecules in order to cross the blood-brain barrier and be effective—and nearly all come in pill form. But under current law, these medicines are unfairly penalized, receiving fewer years of protection than biologics. This discourages investment in the very treatments patients rely on most. The EPIC Act corrects this imbalance, ensuring that promising, potentially life-saving mental health treatments in pill form continue to be developed and made accessible to those who need them.

We encourage you to reach out to your U.S. Representative in Congress to support this bipartisan bill (H.R. 7174). You can do so in the following ways:

  1. Find your U.S. Representative by CLICKING HERE.
  2. Enter your zip code to find your Representatives, then follow the link to their contact page, where you can paste your message into a contact box or get your Representatives’ email address.
  3. Use the sample text below, edited with your name and any other details.
  4. Or, if you would prefer to call your Representative, you can use the phone call script below, and call your Representative using the phone number found on their website.

EMAIL / CONTACT LETTER TEMPLATE

Dear Rep. [Member of Congress],

As a constituent and advocate for mental health, I urge you to support the bipartisan Ensuring Pathways to Innovative Cures (EPIC) Act (H.R.7174) — legislation that is essential to protecting access to future treatments for mental illness.

Many psychiatric medications rely on small molecule compounds that can cross the blood-brain barrier — a scientific hurdle that biologics and larger molecules often cannot overcome. These oral medications are the backbone of mental health treatment, offering accessible, effective, and affordable care for people living with serious mental illness.

Unfortunately, the current law under the Inflation Reduction Act discourages investment in these types of treatments by subjecting small molecule drugs—such as pills and tablets—to government price setting just 9 years after approval, while biologics are given 13 years. This disparity is already disincentivizing the development of new mental health treatments at a time when innovation is desperately needed.

We cannot allow federal policy to further slow progress in mental health research. For many patients, particularly in rural and underserved areas, oral medications are the only realistic option, allowing them to manage their conditions without frequent trips to hospitals for infusions.

Mental health drug development is already one of the riskiest and most complex areas of medicine. Congress must ensure that policies like the EPIC Act are enacted to foster—not discourage—future breakthroughs.

Please cosponsor and support the EPIC Act (H.R.7174) to support innovation in mental illness treatment and protect access to oral medications for patients and families across the country.

Thank you,
[Your Name]

 

PHONE CALL SCRIPT

Hello, my name is _______________ and I am a constituent in Rep. [Member of Congress]’s district, at [your address]. I am calling to encourage Rep. [Member of Congress] to cosponsor and support the Ensuring Pathways to Innovative Cures Act, also called the EPIC Act. The bill number is H.R.7174, and it’s a bipartisan bill sponsored by Rep. Greg Murphy.

As a constituent, it’s very important to me that Rep. [Member of Congress] supports the EPIC Act. This bill will make sure that we have access to new medications in pill form, which is essential for my family. [Please share any personal stories about medication conditions impacting your loved ones and how pill medications alleviate their conditions.]

If my family can’t access medications in pill form in the future, then we may be forced to drive [distance] to our nearest hospital for care. And hospital care is really expensive. We want to make sure we can continue to take medicines that we can afford and that we can get at our local pharmacy. That’s why I’m calling to encourage Rep. [Member of Congress] to support the EPIC Act.

Thank you.

Other Ways to Spread Awareness:

Share information about the EPIC Act on social media:

Use your platforms to educate others about the bill and encourage them to get involved. 

Participate in advocacy campaigns:

Organizations like S&PAA and Rural Minds are actively working to promote the EPIC Act and may have opportunities for you to get involved. 

Inform your community:
Talk to your friends, family, and neighbors about the EPIC Act and encourage them to support it. 

By aligning the pricing timeline
for small and large molecule medicines
to 13 years, the EPIC Act will:

Preserve and encourage critical R&D investments.

Facilitate continued innovation in treating chronic diseases and conditions with significant unmet medical needs.

Protect patient access to advanced therapeutic options.