1. “Drugs don’t work if people can’t afford them”
- P4AD founder and cancer patient, David Mitchell, writes about how the growing crisis around COVID-19 brings into stark view America’s broken drug pricing system. — (Patients For Affordable Drugs)
2. Taxpayers left to foot the bill
- Facing a wave of public criticism and accusations of profiteering, drug maker Gilead backpedalled its request for orphan drug designation for a potential coronavirus drug that would have blocked competition, allowed tax breaks, and boosted their profits. — (The New York Times)
3. Prices Slashed
- Rising Pharmaceuticals, makers of the touted potential coronavirus drug, chloroquine, rolled back a price hike from the beginning of the year. It goes to show price gouging happens all the time, and must be curbed all the time, pandemic or no pandemic. — (STAT)
4. Drug prices continue to soar
- A new study revealed that brand drug prices have increased three times faster than the rate of inflation even when you factor in discounts they give to insurers. More than ever, we need drug pricing reform. — (WESA)
5. Buying policies to put profits over patients
- Kaiser Health News dug into FEC filings and found that Senators working to advance pro-Pharma proposals were the recipients of hefty campaign donations from pharmaceutical manufacturer-associated PACs. — (Kaiser Health News)