Statement from Margarida Jorge, campaign director for Lower Drug Prices Now, in response to President Biden’s executive order to lower drug prices:
These actions by President Biden — importation and ending pay-for-delay on generics — are helpful steps to increase competition and access for patients on some drugs. But these steps alone won’t fundamentally solve the problem of price gouging by pharmaceutical corporations that have monopoly power to set and increase prices whenever they want. There are limits on what drugs can be imported, and competition alone won’t make drugs affordable for many people given that many drugs don’t have generic versions or enough generics on the market to bring down prices.
To truly lower drug prices for everyone, Congress needs to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, end monopoly control of drug prices by corporations, and help people afford out-of-pocket costs. And they need to do it now — patients have waited long enough.