Hillary Clinton Calls for Regulators to Look into Daraprim Price Increase

[riversedge]

Source: newsweek




By Reuters 10/19/15 at 7:38 PM





Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton gives a thumbs up to supporters at the end of the first official Democratic candidates debate of the 2016 presidential campaign in Las Vegas, Nevada. REUTERS/LUCY NICHOLSON

Filed Under: U.S., Turing Pharmaceuticals, Hillary Clinton, 2016 Presidential Campaign, Martin Shkreli, Daraprim

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Monday urged U.S. regulators to determine how to bring lower-cost generic drugs to market more swiftly and combat anticompetitive practices in the pharmaceutical industry.

Clinton's requests to the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission were prompted by what she called the "egregious actions of Turing Pharmaceuticals," according to letters reviewed by Reuters.
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The company drew fire from Clinton last month after news reports that it had raised the price of Daraprim, a 62 year-old treatment for a dangerous parasitic infection, to $750 a tablet from $13.50 after acquiring it.


Clinton's criticism sent drug industry stock prices tumbling. Turing Chief Executive Officer Martin Shkreli promised to lower Daraprim's cost to an unspecified price, and Turing is in the midst of a rebranding effort after being mocked on "Saturday Night Live."

In her letter to the FDA, which regulates food and drug safety, Clinton said that Turing has still not "meaningfully lowered the price." The company's decision to "artificially increase the price" exploited vulnerable patients dependent on the drug, which is often used by those with compromised immune systems, Clinton said......................

Read more: http://www.newsweek.com/hillary-clinton-calls-regulators-look-daraprim-price-increase-385028

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Thank you so much Hillary for doing something constructive for all of us. Keep up the good work.

[William Seger]

1. Shkreli should be arrested and charged with extortion (n/t)

[jtuck004]

12. Too nice, after the snake lay in the weeds and waited for people so he could strike. Has forfeited

the right to walk among us.

[cantbeserious]

2. HRC Request Will Be Ignored - HRC Has No Authority To Make Request - Strawman Action

eom

[Dr Hobbitstein]

5. Trolol.

[cantbeserious]

33. Ad Hominen Attacks - First Sign Of Nothing To Say

eom

[riversedge]

6. What she did was a good thing even as you try to diss her for it. Shameful.

[cantbeserious]

34. Ad Hominen Attacks

eom

[karynnj]

19. Not to mention, the Congress was already involved - Cummings and Sanders

and the NYT itself was helpful in making this an issue. It is good that HRC used her own position to further make this an issue. I suspect that all of that will help as it might have created enough outrage that there might be enough demand for legislation - even on the Republican side.

Here is a link to the original NYT article - http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/business/a-huge-overnight-increase-in-a-drugs-price-raises-protests.html?_r=0

[cantbeserious]

35. Reflects HRC And Opportunism - A Consistent Criticism

eom

[Vinca]

3. I think the Attorney General should be investigating.

Shkreli is nothing more than a shakedown artist preying on people who need his product to stay alive.

[wordpix]

9. my conventional chemo had "allowed charge" of $23K/round but NIH reports it costs $3600/round

including drugs + admin. And $23K is nothing compared to the fantastical figure of the "provider charge" of $40K+ per round. The head doc for ACA in my state actually called me after I sent an email to his dept. about it. He told me to ignore the $40K and just look at the "allowed." Why do insurance cos. "allow" a payout of $20K more per round than what the drugs + services cost?

THAT is what needs to be investigated. My two theories: 1) insurance cos. get kickbacks from drug cos. and other providers and/or 2) insurance cos. "allow" a payout of $23K/round but actually negotiate with the feds and states and providers to pay out much less. Then insurers take a loss for the difference, resulting in huge tax deductions.

My chemo was developed decades ago and is nothing new or life saving. A round of chemo for me was an IV drip at the doc's office for a few hrs., and then I took the drugs home attached to a port in my chest that pumped day and night for two days straight. Then back to the doc for the nurse to pull out the line. $23K for an IV drip that was mostly at home? We need a REAL investigation b/c this Shkreli guy is just one of the smaller scam artists.

The whole industry needs to be investigated.

[edgineered]

4. Typical showmanship. Its as if no one knows what's what already.

And will the outcome have any effect on anything? No, it is Clinton's way of doing Benghazi.

[riversedge]

7. And what did Sanders do? He sent out a Fund-raising plea-of the backs of folks who have

to pay high prices to stay well. Hillary is trying to made a change on this issue. I have written a letter also.



http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251704354

[karynnj]

16. Bernie Sanders and Cummings were mentioned in the original NYT article

as having been investigating the practice of raising prices for generics after a new company acquired the company that made them. The letter that they wrote seemed to be the basis for the NYT investigation.

(Sanders and Commings mentioned in 7th paragraph - and the NYT seems to have made cut and paste harder - so they obviously don't want people doing it. So, here is the link.)


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/business/a-huge-overnight-increase-in-a-drugs-price-raises-protests.html?_r=0

It was this September NYT article that led to HRC's (correct) call that something had to be done - made by the next day! So, not only has Sanders made the same call -- the NYT article that triggered it seems based on work that he and Cummings did in the Congress.

Here is the next day's NYT article on HRC - http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/22/business/big-price-increase-for-tb-drug-is-rescinded.html

(Note that they link back to the earlier story and speak of how that information "spread into the political sphere"}

So, this is actually a good story all around. Two good Democrats, including Bernie, in Congress investigated this incredible gorging on several generic drugs, the NYT wrote a article that went viral that clearly explained the practice, HRC by tweet and in a speech the next day called them out and said it had to stop -- note that the company rolled back the increase by the next day. Good on everyone involved.

[edgineered]

21. Having someone to lead the party,

instead of following what the media feeds the masses is nice. Too bad those in the club make better cheerleaders than coaches.

[wordpix]

10. "Clinton's way of doing Benghazi"---are you a repuke? BENG-HAZZZIIII!!!!!

Is your hair on fire yet?

[edgineered]

22. Post 21 above tells the difference between cheerleaders and coaches. nt

[mcar]

11. "Showmanship?" HRC is trying to do something

Bernie is fundraising.

[riversedge]

14. Just ran across this Tweet about this issue...

Bernie Sanders fund raises off the back of sick Americans and high drug prices http://ti.me/1ZRJGQG #p2 NOT#feelingtheBern

[karynnj]

18. Maybe the ignorant Time magazine writer doesn't know that Sanders

addressed the issue first --- then the NYT -- and only after a NYT article that went viral did HRC send a tweet. The NYT article mentions the work of Cummings and Sanders - http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/business/a-huge-overnight-increase-in-a-drugs-price-raises-protests.html?_r=0

HRC did a good thing by using her position to make it a bigger issue, but it was already a pretty hot issue with the NYT title being what it was!

[riversedge]

20. Who went first is a bully approach. Point is that Hillary is trying to help

sick Americans with her real response by writing the letters--while Sanders--well, the article speaks for itself.

[karynnj]

24. Well a bully approach is saying that Sanders just fund raised off of it and HRC acted

to help. A gracious person might concede she did not know what Bernie had done -- and made remove her post that I responded to. There is plenty of credit to take -- Bernie Sanders, Cummings, the NYT and HRC all made this enough of an issue that it will be fixed for one, and likely many drugs.

[riversedge]

25. No, you were arguing who said some first-that was the bully approach.

[karynnj]

29. No, the point is that as a NORMAL part of what Bernie does in Congress,

he made this an issue. It is very likely that without Sanders and Cummings calling attention to it, there may have been no NYT article that HRC responded to. That is A LOT more than who spoke first.

[riversedge]

31. Your main emphasis on the post you reponded to me with was Who went first.

Enough said.



karynnj (51,709 posts)
18. Maybe the ignorant Time magazine writer doesn't know that Sanders

addressed the issue first --- then the NYT -- and only after a NYT article that went viral did HRC send a tweet. The NYT article mentions the work of Cummings and Sanders - http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/business/a-huge-overnight-increase-in-a-drugs-price-raises-protests.html?_r=0

HRC did a good thing by using her position to make it a bigger issue, but it was already a pretty hot issue with the NYT title being what it was!

[karynnj]

32. Note I gave HRC credit - you dissed Bernie and you gave him no credit for his work

My main emphasis was on what was actually done - NYT, the Congress and HRC. It was nowhere near as simplistic as who SAID what first.

[karynnj]

17. The NYT article on the price gorging that HRC then addressed was partly based on Sanders'

work. Sanders and Cummings investigated this and the NYT artlcle that led to HRC's reaction mentions them.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/business/a-huge-overnight-increase-in-a-drugs-price-raises-protests.html?_r=0

[edgineered]

23. Not to re-iterate, maybe you could follow the cheerleaders in their

latest and greatest pep rally.

[mcar]

8. K&R

[KansDem]

13. Off topic, but has anyone actually had to pay that price, yet?

Individual or insurance company?

[Gregorian]

15. Don't believe the hype. It's the same people who cheered on the Iraq invasion.

Bernie sends a bill to Congress regarding this matter- crickets. Hillary gets on the phone to chastise over the high drug price, it's news!

Only fools are buying what she's selling.

[riversedge]

26. Well, several polls these last few days say many ARE buying what Hillary is selling.

[bowens43]

27. LOL! hillary, which ever way the wind blows....the blatant pandering makes me want to puke

[riversedge]

28. Who is she supposedly pandering to? the sick who need help with HIGH drug prices.? get

a new vocabulary word--the word pandering is getting old.

[Thinkingabout]

30. For those claiming Hillary will not take any action against pharmaceuticals because

There has been money donated, here you are.