Stat News – 5/19/20
“But one consumer advocate, Margarida Jorge, campaign director for Lower Drug Prices Now, slammed the decision.
“This White House seems to have an open spigot of taxpayer dollars going to drug corporations that profiteer off pandemics. They’re gearing up to give the largest award in history to a corporate executive who quintupled the price of (an overdose antidote) in the middle of the opioid epidemic,” she said. “Yet again, the administration is handing over taxpayer dollars to a drug corporation with no strings attached and no guarantee that we’ll get affordable access to the medicines developed with our money.”
North Jersey – 5/19/20
A trio of advocacy organizations behind a state campaign for affordable drugs is calling on New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal to investigate a San Francisco-based drug company after it tripled the price of a drug that could be used to treat coronavirus patients.
New Jersey Citizen Action, New Jersey Appleseed Public Interest Law Center and New Jersey Organizing Project on Tuesday asked Grewal’s office to investigate price gouging by Jaguar Health, a pharmaceutical company that produces the anti-diarrheal drug Mytesi.
WASHINGTON – Today, organizations representing 14 states in every region of the U.S. sent letters to their respective Attorneys General requesting that they investigate Jaguar Health’s recent attempts to profiteer off the coronavirus pandemic by tripling the price of the drug Mytesi. Grassroots leaders from across the progressive landscape joined together in a unified response to the actions of Jaguar Health: Big Pharma’s business as usual model must end with COVID.
“It should surprise absolutely no one that this White House has put a senior pharma executive in charge of coordinating COVID vaccines and treatments. This is deeply concerning. Once again, the Trump administration has put the fox in charge of the hen house.”
“This package focuses on the most immediate relief and recovery needs. We hope President Trump and Senate Leader McConnell will follow Speaker Pelosi’s lead and take swift action to help millions who desperately need it.”
Des Moines Register – 5/11/20
LTE by Dr. Selden Spencer, Ames
