What do AbbVie and UFOs have in common? They’re both under investigation by the U.S. government.
Welcome to the Week in Review.
- Take The Lead: Pass H.R. 3
- New national and state polls from West Health show just how popular Medicare negotiation is among Americans. Across the country, 81 percent of Americans believe the government should be allowed to negotiate lower drug prices, with similar levels of support in Arizona, Delaware, New Jersey, and West Virginia. It’s settled: Americans demand Medicare negotiation. Congress must pass H.R. 3 now. — (The Hill)
2. Pharma Adds To List Of Offenses
- Following last month’s House Oversight and Reform Committee hearingon pharma giant AbbVie’s abusive pricing practices, on Wednesday the Senate Finance Committee launched its own probe into the drug company’s scheme to avoid paying American taxes. In a letter to the CEO of AbbVie, Senate Finance Chair Wyden raised concerns that AbbVie reported a domestic pretax loss of $4.5 billion and a foreign pretax profit of $7.9 billion last year despite generating most of its revenue in the United States. Yet again, pharma shows it’s all too willing to exploit taxpayers and patients, all to maximize its bottom line. — (Reuters)
3. “An Easy Choice That Will Save Lives”
- The New Jersey legislature must establish a prescription drug affordability board and lower drug prices for patients across the state, writes Assemblyman John McKeon in an op-ed. Polls show that 43 percent of New Jerseyans have delayed or forgone taking a prescribed medication due to high costs, and 88 percent support drug affordability board legislation. “All across our state working families are struggling to afford life-saving medicine,” McKeon writes. “It’s time to focus on the real problem and bring down drug costs for everyone in New Jersey.” — (The Star-Ledger)