Politico Pulse – 6/9/20
“Mergers and consolidation in the drug space usually end badly for consumers said Margarida Jorge, campaign director for Lower Drug Prices Now. Affordable vaccines and treatments should be a priority during the Covid-19 pandemic but “we can’t do that if they’re not affordable because massive drug conglomerates are allowed to charge any price they want,” Jorge said in a statement.”
Inside Health Policy – 6/9/20
The federal government this month will run out of the only drug shown to help COVID-19 patients recover, and it is not clear whether Gilead will continue to provide new supplies of remdesivir to HHS for free. HHS will send out its last batch of remdesivir to states on June 29, an HHS official told Inside Health Policy, though it will reserve less than 10% of its supply in case “hotspots emerge in the coming weeks.”
Las Vegas Sun – 6/8/20
“This move is another political stunt from a president worried about his poll numbers with seniors as his broken campaign promises keep stacking up,” said Margarida Jorge, national campaign director for the advocacy group Lower Drug Prices Now.
LA Times – 6/4/20
“This move is another political stunt from a president worried about his poll numbers with seniors as his broken campaign promises keep stacking up,” said Margarida Jorge, national campaign director for the advocacy group Lower Drug Prices Now.
“Instead of tweaks and one-off proposals for political gain, we need to overhaul the system that gives drug corporations monopoly control over prices, and instead put in place fair rules that ensure access and affordability for everyone,” she said.
Newsweek – 6/2/20
OPED by Cong. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Cong. Francis Rooney (R-FL)
Over the past decade, almost every new medication brought to market was paid for by a hefty investment from taxpayer dollars. Each of these drugs was developed in the interest of a greater public good: to alleviate pain, improve health and save lives. However, accountability for public funding has not prevented pharmaceutical corporations from hiking up prices on new and existing drugs for patients, increasing the cost of prescription drugs up to 10 percent every year.
Maine Beacon podcast interviewed campaign director Margarida Jorge LDPN: The grassroots campaign to stop drug corporations from profiteering off the pandemic (podcast rebroadcast on 6 local radio stations).
