In an effort to target the Biden administration, progressive and grassroots organizations launched a new campaign urging President Biden and Xavier Becerra, Health and Human Services Secretary, to lower drug prices in the United States. “Make Meds Affordable,” a campaign launched by Sen. Elizabeth Warren along with progressive organizations, is asking to “end the monopoly power of Big Pharma and stop its abuse of the prescription drug pricing and patent system.”
In a new report from Public Citizen, it reported that 17 of the 20 top-selling drugs worldwide in 2020 made pharmaceutical corporations more money from U.S. sales than from sales to all other countries in the rest of the world combined.
“No one should have to choose between buying groceries and paying for medications they need to survive,” Peter Maybarduk, Access to Medicines director for Public Citizen, said. “That’s why we launched this campaign to urge President Biden and Secretary Becerra to use the power they already have to make medications affordable now.”
The new campaign is calling on President Biden to take executive action to lower drug prices.
“President Biden made a commitment to the American people that he would lower drug prices. He has yet to fulfill that promise,” Christian Antonio Urrutia, co-founder of PrEP4All, said. “The U.S. government has the authority to stop pharmaceutical profiteering and ensure millions of Americans can get the medications they need.”
The campaign is also asking that President Biden allow for “the production of generics that would eliminate monopolies on medicines and deliver the healthcare people need.”
“People all over the U.S. are being forced into rationing their life-saving medications because they can’t afford to buy the overpriced drugs here that are sold in other countries for a tenth of the price,” Julia Santos, senior healthcare policy manager for Indivisible, said. “And the reason Big Pharma gets to price-gouge Americans is because our federal government has refused to break up those pharma monopolies and let generic manufacturers here in the U.S. make and sell those life-saving meds. So to President Biden and HHS Sec Becerra we say, ‘What are you waiting for?’”
While President Biden has yet to fulfill his campaign promise, the launch of Make Meds Affordable is one way progressives are holding the current administration accountable.
“Whether this administration has the willpower to do so remains to be seen,” Urrutia said.
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