Statement from Margarida Jorge, campaign director for Lower Drug Prices Now, on last night’s White House speech by Donald Trump:

“The world that President Trump described last night, one in which he is a populist warrior taking on the big drug corporations on behalf of the American people, does not exist anywhere outside of Trump’s own head.

“Since day one, Donald Trump has stacked his administration with former Pharma executives, enriched the biggest players in the industry, and refused to hold drug corporations accountable for price gouging. After promising to make the corporations “negotiate like crazy” in his last election campaign, last year Trump reversed his position and refused to pass negotiations in Medicare that would lower prices for seniors. He gave the drug companies massive tax breaks and avoided any reforms that would take their power to charge us more for medicines.

“His so-called ‘Operation Warp Speed’ is handing over hundreds of millions of dollars to the largest players in the industry with no transparency, accountability or guarantee of affordability. And he is putting his own political agenda and timeline ahead of science, reality or fact so he can create an ‘October Surprise’ and a vaccine before Election Day.

“Americans are tired of political speeches, empty rhetoric and excuses — which is all they have gotten for years from Donald Trump on this issue. They want serious reforms that take away the drug corporations’ monopoly control to charge us whatever they want for medicines we need. He’s had years to take meaningful action to help Americans, and instead he’s chosen a last minute Hail Mary to distract the public and distort his own failed record.”