Headlines: Big Pharma Reboots Tired Tactics During Hill Grilling

Testimony from Seven Drug Makers Showcases Continued Unwillingness to Take Responsibility, Become Part of the Solution

On Tuesday, executives from seven of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world – including AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Sanofi, AstraZeneca and Merck – testified before the Senate Committee on Finance on the crisis of prescription drug prices.  The hearing, the second held by the committee this year on drug pricing, underlines the strong, bipartisan commitment in Washington to hold Big Pharma accountable for its price gouging tactics.

Unfortunately, as expected, Big Pharma executives re-upped their traditional playbook: reciting feel-good rhetoric about their commitment to patients and playing the blame game, pointing fingers at the supply chain instead of taking responsibility for their industry’s practices and price gouging.  Read CSRxP’s full statement on the Tuesday hearing HERE.

National headlines coming out of the hearing underscored the growing, bipartisan momentum in Congress to hold drug makers accountable and called-out Big Pharma for their tactics aimed at deflection rather than solutions.

National Headlines on Big Pharma’s Grilling Before Congress:

• Senators Draw On Own Experiences To Chastise Drug Companies – Associated Press, 2/26/19
• Senators Grill Pharma Execs For Raising Drug Prices, Protecting Patents ‘Like Gollum With His Ring’ – CNBC, 2/26/19
• Senators Rip Execs On ‘Unaffordable’ List Prices – Bloomberg, 2/26/19
• Drug Executives Grilled In Senate Over High Prices – The Washington Post, 2/26/19
• Senators Chastise Top Pharmaceutical Executives Over High Prescription Drug Costs – Time, 2/26/19
• Leaders Of 7 Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Face Tough Questioning On Capitol Hill – NPR, 2/26/19

National Headlines On Big Pharma Playing The Blame Game:

• In Front Of Congress, Pharma Execs Blame ‘Broken’ System – Bio Pharma Drive, 2/26/19
• Drug Makers Try To Justify Prescription Prices To Senators At Hearing – New York Times, 2/26/19
• Grassley To Big Pharma: ‘I’m Sick And Tired Of The Blame Game’ – CNN, 2/26/19
• Big Pharma Relies On Old Talking Points To Battle New Scrutiny – Fox Business, 2/26/19
• In Senate Testimony, Pharma Executive Admits Drug Prices Hit Poor The Hardest – NBC News, 2/26/19
• In Muted Hearing, Pharma Execs Dodge Attempts To Pin Blame For High Prices – STAT News, 2/26/29

As additional hearings are scheduled and lawmakers weigh drug pricing legislation, CSRxP hopes that Congress keeps up the momentum to hold drug manufacturers accountable and works together to enact bipartisan, market-based solutions that make prescription drugs more affordable for patients.