Below is a statement from Margarida Jorge, national campaign director for Lower Drug Prices Now:
“Johnson & Johnson’s promise to provide a future coronavirus vaccine on a ‘not-for-profit basis’ rings hollow. J&J has a record of promising not-for-profit prices on life-saving drugs, and then gouging patients for the same medicines later on. That’s why we know we can’t trust Johnson & Johnson not to profiteer on this one.
“We shouldn’t have to depend on goodwill or promises from drug corporations to get access to affordable treatments and vaccines for COVID-19. Congress has already turned over hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to develop those medicines. Now it’s time for lawmakers to ensure in law that we’ll get the drugs we’ve already paid for by guaranteeing that all treatments and vaccines created with public funding will be affordable at low or no cost to everyone who needs them.
Background:
Johnson & Johnson’s track record demonstrates that they cannot be trusted to put the health of patients ahead of its own predatory profit-making:
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Lower Drug Prices Now is a national coalition of nearly 60 social, racial and economic justice organizations with members in all fifty states. We are committed to transformative, systemic and bold reforms to ensure everyone has access to affordable medicines — no matter where they live, what they look like or how much money they have. Learn more at https://www.lowerdrugpricesnow.org/ and follow us on Twitter @peopleb4pharma.