WASHINGTON (March 20, 2020) – Since the start of the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. the Lower Drug Prices Now Coalition has been sounding the alarm about potential Big Pharma price gouging if President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Azar fail to enact price control measures that ensure affordability.
(Des Moines, Iowa, March 18, 2020) — We hear a lot from national sources about the continuing needs, concerns and spread of the COVID-19 virus. Today we heard from real Iowans representing Iowa government, small business, healthcare, and senior communities about the effects in Iowa.
Des Moines Register – 3/7/20
OPED by Patrick Morissey
Maine Beacon – 3/16/20
As the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is inundated with criticism for its failure to adequately respond to the spread of COVID-19, Senator Susan Collins is now under fire for her 2018 vote to appoint Alex Azar — former president of pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly — to head the Department of Health and Human Services, which directly oversees the CDC.
Washington (March 12, 2020) – President Trump announced a new pilot project to cap insulin costs at $35 a month for people with diabetes participating in Medicare Part D. However, the proposed initiative is voluntary for drug makers and insurers and includes no controls on prices or negotiating power.
…
Maine Beacon – 3/5/20
At polls across Maine on Tuesday, hundreds of voters spoke with health care advocates and signed pledge cards calling on Sen. Susan Collins to do more to lower the cost of prescription drugs. Many Mainers punctuated their message by sharing how much they pay each month for their prescriptions, often totaling thousands of dollars.
Stat News – 3/5/20
Progressive Democrats are pushing to constrain how much drug makers can charge for a coronavirus vaccine.
A group of lawmakers held a press conference Thursday to pressure the Trump administration to impose price controls on any coronavirus-related treatment, and to call on their colleagues to reconsider some of the ambitious drug pricing legislation they have put forward this Congress. Their platform goes far beyond the Medicare negotiation legislation from Speaker Nancy Pelosi that passed the House in December; they instead highlighted a bill, among others, that would create an independent committee to set the price for any drug created using federal research.
