Bloomberg Law – 6/18/20
Margarida Jorge, a campaign director for the coalition Lower Drug Prices Now, is skeptical the industry will set affordable prices. “We couldn’t trust them on EpiPens,” she says. “Why on Earth would we think that we could trust the prescription drug industry to create a vaccine that they would then price at a fair rate.” Almost 9 in 10 U.S. adults say they’re concerned the drug industry will leverage the pandemic to raise prices, shows a poll from Gallup and West Health released on June 18.
“A commitment to affordability that can’t be made on the record is just another hollow promise to the American people. Like so many things with this administration, this pledge is nothing more than empty rhetoric.”
Lower Drug Prices Now joins our partners, allies and people all over the world as we grieve and mobilize over the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arberty, and so many more of our sisters, brothers and trans family members who are casualties of racism and white supremacy.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Lower Drug Prices Now joined nonpartisan ethics watchdog groups American Oversight and Accountable.US in filing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for information on the pricing, cost and affordability of COVID-19 vaccines or treatment created by AstraZeneca, Merck and Pfizer.
“At the same time we’re handing billions in taxpayer dollars over to Big Pharma companies for COVID treatments and vaccines, no strings attached, they’re continuing with the same business-as-usual approach of gouging patients. How many times do the same companies have to prove that they can’t be trusted before we lawmakers take action to end Pharma companies’ monopoly control to charge patients any price they want?”
“For decades, these drug corporations have held the healthcare of billions of people hostage, lining their pockets to become the most profitable industry in the nation,” said Margarida Jorge, national campaign director for Lower Drug Prices Now. “Apparently Dr. Fauci, a senior public health official responsible for our nation’s COVID response, believes that’s okay. Big Pharma should not be the ones deciding the cost of a vaccine, full stop.”
Politico Pulse – 6/9/20
“Mergers and consolidation in the drug space usually end badly for consumers said Margarida Jorge, campaign director for Lower Drug Prices Now. Affordable vaccines and treatments should be a priority during the Covid-19 pandemic but “we can’t do that if they’re not affordable because massive drug conglomerates are allowed to charge any price they want,” Jorge said in a statement.”
