A Policy for – and Written by – Big Pharma
May 11, 2018
A Policy for – and Written by – Big Pharma
Statements of Public Citizen Experts
Note: President Donald Trump today outlined his plan to make medicines more affordable.
“What Trump laid out is policy that Big Pharma can love – and no wonder, because Big Pharma wrote it. Trump abandoned his campaign commitment to Medicare Part D negotiation – which would save $16 billion a year or more – and shamefully aims to beat up on other countries to make them pay more, doing nothing for American consumers but forcing more rationing overseas. Those are the top lines. That’s what matters, and everything else is noise around the margins.”
– Robert Weissman, president, Public Citizen
“Trump’s few tough words for pharma are a cover-up for the sweetheart deal he really is offering the megacorporations that raise prices on Americans by the day. The White House plan does little to make medicines affordable or challenge the core problem of making lifesaving therapies available: the industry’s monopoly power and abuse. Instead, the swamp of former lobbyists and executives that make up much of the Trump pricing team have designed a plan that pays lip service to reform, but in fact will protect corporations from public anger at unaffordable medicines. It is critical that the American people do not fall for this trick. Instead of making medicines less accessible for people around the world struggling to afford their own health care, the White House should do three things: challenge the industry with full negotiation powers for Medicare, block price spikes and curb monopoly abuse.”
– Peter Maybarduk, director, Public Citizen’s Access to Medicines program
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