Statement from Margarida Jorge, campaign director for Lower Drug Prices Now, on today’s Executive Orders from the Trump Administration:

“These Executive Orders are not about policy, they’re about politics. The only reason for President Trump’s rekindled interest in lowering drug prices is his dwindling poll numbers, and realization that our country’s senior citizens are abandoning him thanks to his bungled handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Donald Trump has had three years to keep his promises on prescription drug prices, but instead he spent that time stacking his administration with former Pharma executives, enriching the biggest players in the industry, and refusing to hold drug corporations accountable for price gouging. Now, as the election looms large and the nation faces the biggest public health crisis of our lifetimes, he’s offering more lip service with executive actions that won’t take effect for years, if ever.

Americans are tired of half measures and excuses — they want serious reforms that take away the drug corporations’ monopoly control to charge us whatever they want for medicines we need. If President Trump was serious about putting people before Big Pharma’s profits, he would work with Congress to put an end to the industry’s monopoly control over drug pricing. He’s had years to take meaningful action to help Americans, and instead he’s chosen a last minute Hail Mary to help himself.”