Biden administration adds insulin to drug price negotiation list in major blow to big pharma

“This was an unexpected victory in a long fight against an illegal cartel of three corporations who have raised their insulin prices in lockstep.”

The Biden Administration pleasantly stunned health care reform advocates Tuesday by including short-acting insulin in its list of 10 drugs for which Medicare will negotiate lower prices, power vested in the White House by the Inflation Reduction Act.

The IRA was passed in the face of one of the heftiest barrages of lobbying in congressional history, with the pharmaceutical industry spending more than $700 million over 2021 and 2022 — several times more than the second- and third-ranking industries — much of it aimed at stopping the legislation, watering it down, or undermining its implementation.

SteveJobs,

The pharmaceutical industry spent $700 million lobbying against this? What a bunch of assholes.

MicroWave,
@MicroWave@lemmy.world avatar

And they’ve already filed lawsuits:

The suits make similar and overlapping claims that Medicare negotiations are unconstitutional.

The companies argue that the talks would force drugmakers to sell their medicines at huge discounts, below market rates. They assert this violates the Fifth Amendment, which requires the government to pay reasonable compensation for private property taken for public use.

The suits also argue that the process violates drugmakers’ free speech rights under the First Amendment, essentially forcing companies to agree that Medicare is negotiating a fair price.

They also contend that the talks violate the Eighth Amendment by levying an excessive fine if drugmakers refuse to engage in the process.

Just ridiculous.

cnbc.com/…/10-drugs-to-face-medicare-price-negoti…

ikidd,
@ikidd@lemmy.world avatar

And yet in every other country where they have to bargain against a centralized healthcare system, they are able to provide a decent price.

The US needs to take decisive action against these sociopaths.

DragonTypeWyvern,

Preferably with guillotines.

spankinspinach,

Just reading this it looks like they had this in their back pocket for a while lol

DoomBot5,

Oh yeah, lawyers start preparing these lawsuits as soon as an announcement is made (in this case the legislation being announced). They just don’t file them until absolutely necessary.

atzanteol,

The suits also argue that the process violates drugmakers’ free speech rights under the First Amendment, essentially forcing companies to agree that Medicare is negotiating a fair price.

Sure Jan. 🙄

Ertebolle,

A great way to tell that a business is making way too much money is when they can afford to hire monkey cages full of lawyers to fling every terrible legal argument they can think of at you in the hope that one of them somehow sticks.

TigrisMorte,

It is more cynical than that. They want to out spend the resources available to fight them, not win a legal case.

SheeEttin,

I don’t think they’re going to outspend the federal government though.

DragonTypeWyvern,

It’s not a cruise missile, there are limits.

Especially when they already own half the Senate.

TigrisMorte,

They don't need to. They need to outspend the specific attorney's dept. Plus, many are counting on a change in administration before any consequences of merit.

afraid_of_zombies,

One thing that bothers me about the law. This kinda thing. There should be some sorta limit on how many arguments you can present. Multiple bad arguments does not equal a solid one.

blue_zephyr,

Market rates aren’t reasonable compensation.

SCB,

The companies argue that the talks would force drugmakers to sell their medicines at huge discounts, below market rates. They assert this violates the Fifth Amendment, which requires the government to pay reasonable compensation for private property taken for public use.

It will be interesting to watch this shake out, because this decision could have a lot of knock-off effects when it comes to further price negotiations by the government across a wide array of sectors.

Kecessa,

“Below market rate”

If only looking at the USA where pharmaceutical companies are free to do as they please, but probably still higher than in any other rich countries in the world.

SCB,

Yeah I think that’s going to end up being a pivotal distinction here, as these are companies with global reach and thus “market rate” will be a difficult concept to defend.

Exclusivity contracts would be one thing, but suggesting this is an egregious step by the US government is going to be a difficult case to prove imo.

The_v,

Their proof will be with “vacations” etc for the judges sitting the trial.

afraid_of_zombies,

Charge what they please. They are heavily regulated in what they can do. Which is why stuff like the J&J arsenic event is a once a decade thing vs a constant thing.

Nommer,

They likely are subsidized by the federal government anyway. As far as I’m concerned, any time the government gives money to a corporation, they’re no longer a private company until they pay it back.

assassin_aragorn,

But doesn’t medicare already negotiate prescription drug prices? Or am I thinking of something else?

reverendsteveii,

At this point the first amendment is just their catchall for any time they want to stop the government doing something, isnt it? Selling drugs isnt speech, making cakes or websites isn’t speech, you fucking monsters don’t have to like it and you don’t have to pretend to like it, you just have to stop destroying people for money.

lemme_at_it,

" Wealthy residents raise $60,000 to stop homeless shelter being built in San Francisco", was a headline last week.

It’s not just an 'industry" thing. It’s a "people"thing

Daft_ish,

The fact that sentence exists is pathetic for modern society.

K1nsey6,
@K1nsey6@lemmy.world avatar

Another song and dance, the guy that been the highest recipient of pharma lobbying isnt gonna hurt their profits. The shellgame will just shift money around until election day to make it look like hes doing good for us

HawlSera,

Overdue

The body count is as high as the tightrope on insulin price gouginf

elevenfingerfrk,

It must be getting close to a US election year. Suddenly, a Democratic president feigns to give a shit about the people who voted for him. Albeit grudgingly, of course, and knowing whatever he suggests now will be so watered down by the time it’s executed it will be like nothing happened at all.

Zoboomafoo,
@Zoboomafoo@lemmy.world avatar

“I’m elevenfingerfrk and I look gift horses in the mouth”

elevenfingerfrk,

How is that even applicable to this situation? It’s not as if he’s going to actually make this happen. There’s not even an actual gift horse to look in the mouth. It’s just political theater.

I almost would rather he just callously tell us pharma profits and campaign donations are more important to him and his stock portfolio than our health care needs. But that’s the kind of honesty we got from the last guy… and nobody in their right mind wants him back despite his, uh, version of “honesty” 🤮

AngryCommieKender,

I’ve never understood that expression. The gift horse was hiding Greek soldiers that sacked the city. If someone had looked inside, Troy might not have fallen.

naticus,

There’s more than one horse.

uis,
@uis@lemmy.world avatar

https://derpicdn.net/img/view/2022/10/1/2958441__safe_screencap_pinkie+pie_earth+pony_pony_season+3_too+many+pinkie+pies_clone_female_looking+at+you_mare_multeity_pinkie+clone_this+will+not+end+well_t.png

pennomi,

The true horse was inside of us all along

WaxedWookie,

Don’t threaten me with a good time!

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

I don’t think the original expression had anything to do with the Trojan horse.

I believe the original relates to the fact that one of the ways you check the health and condition of a horse is to check its teeth. But if someone is giving you a horse as a gift, it’s rude to check the teeth as it implies you think they’ve sold you a lemon.

So it just means ‘be grateful for what you’re given’. So I think the Troy parallel is just a coincidence.

I could be talking absolute rubbish though.

nednobbins,

That’s the meaning. The earliest example is

“from St. Jerome’s “The Letter to the Ephesians” (written in Latin) in AD 400: “Noli equi dentes inspicere donati.” (This translates as “Never inspect the teeth of a given horse.”) grammar-monster.com/…/dont_look_a_gift_horse_in_t….

The German version is “Einem geschenkten Gaul schaut man nicht ins Maul”. Often followed by, “Einem geschenkten Barsch schaut man nicht unter die Kiemen.”

Cethin,

You’re right, but also it’s better than nothing. If it were a republican in office they’d be doing the opposite and taking things away for the same reason, so I’ll take it.

K1nsey6,
@K1nsey6@lemmy.world avatar

If the end result is the same theres no need to go through the song and dance. They will do all this carrot/stick politicking until the primaries then drop all discussion of progressive talk. Rince and repeat every 2 years.

iegod,

The result is most definitely not the same.

K1nsey6,
@K1nsey6@lemmy.world avatar

The result is exactly the same. Same immigration policies, same foreign policies, same domestic policies. In any case the wealthy will always come out on top, and the labor class gets fucked. The only thing different is its now the red team screaming how bad things are, and dems have gone to brunch assuming our problems are being taken care of.

GladiusB,
@GladiusB@lemmy.world avatar

Which should tell people about our leadership, but it doesn’t.

cockandballs,

VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP VOTETRUMPVOTETRUMP

FlashMobOfOne,
@FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world avatar

I cannot caps this enough.

ABOUT. GODDAMN. TIME.

MinusPi,

ABOUT. GODDAMN. TIME.

FlashMobOfOne,
@FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world avatar

Yes.

TruTollTroll,
@TruTollTroll@lemmy.world avatar

Good!!! Stop the pharmacist companies

random65837,

Yup, until you need them to keep you alive. Then you’ll shut your mouth, come back here and keep running it.

PutangInaMo,

Thanks for highlighting the problem

lntl,

this is going to kill stock prices. sell! sell! sell!

EdibleFriend,
@EdibleFriend@lemmy.world avatar

Who cares

upernikos,

Dumb idea, I know nothing about this all. What about alternatively opening up across-the-border purchases, allowing people to legally buy from other countries at a fraction of current US prices. Drug companies can still set their US, uncontrolled prices at whatever they want, & no one has to buy it from them. It’d be like, a Free Market at work. I know this is oversimplified & there’s a lot of complications I’m not aware of, but, just a thought. Also, speaking of unconstitutional, isn’t group collusion to manipulate the market a violation of Sherman Anti-Trust law? Just saying.

DoomBot5,

How do you make sure the drugs purchased overseas are safe? FDA has pretty tight control over the industry in the US to maintain that here.

upernikos,

For sure a valid question. My presumption is that the same drugs legally produced & sold under that country’s regulations would have a reasonable factor of safety. Good enough for their own people anyway. I think also if I’m faced with the decision, no insulin because I can’t afford it, or drugs only approved to Country X standards, I’m already in a risky situation. For sure some people are already doing this & having to do so illegally.

Otakat,

This is, quite frankly, a very poor assumption depending on where you are getting your drugs from. For example, Dr. Reddy in India is the equivalent of buying a “Channel” knock off purse from China. It looks like the real thing, it might even somewhat function like the real thing. But it some serious flaws.

European drugs, alternatively, are often literally the exact same drug for cheaper because the EMA is much stricter about pricing. But there are also laws that prevent exporting it from EU countries just as there are laws preventing importing into the US. Because international trade is not open.

Source: I work in Pharma.

AllonzeeLV, (edited )

When your reaction to poor, sick human beings getting the medicine they need without losing everything else in their lives is disappointment, you’re a bad person.

Fuck market capitalism and the sociopaths it creates.

Edit: and of course they’re actively suing from their steel towers for the right to continue to gouge sick, poor people deeper into poverty. What a humane economic system, amirite?

DoomBot5,

Watching the anime called “The Great Cleric”. It’s pretty accurately describes this in a fantasy setting.

FlashMobOfOne,
@FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world avatar

Both parties have let them do just that for 43 years. Of course they’re gonna sue. Honestly wouldn’t be surprised if a lawsuit becomes an excuse for Democrats to throw out exceedingly beneficial legislation like this.

elevenfingerfrk,

That’s exactly what’s going to happen. This is being done so that Biden has something to talk about during his campaign stops. Very typical politician behavior. And completely insincere.

FlashMobOfOne,
@FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world avatar

I always expect the other shoe to drop whenever Democrats pretend to be progressive.

Fhek,

Biden Admin til now

  • 27% of campaign promises kept so far.
  • 5% comprised on.
  • 1% broken.
  • 31% stalled.
  • 34% in the works.

Source

Previous Admin

  • 23% of campaign promises kept.
  • 22% comprised on.

Source

So far the “something to talk about” has been better than the last admin though.

Brahm1nmam,

I find you’re inclusion of your sources to be quite… Attractive.

uis,
@uis@lemmy.world avatar

Where is Right to Repair?

hypelightfly,

Having single digit compromised/broken is (sadly) actually pretty impressive.

AllonzeeLV,

They don’t let them do it, both parties are fully in the tank for the owners.

Americans mistake are going after our politician middle managers in Washington. Our oppressors operate out of Wall Street. The RNC and the DNC don’t promote you to federal level races unless you’ve proven to be a good “fundraiser” aka bribe taker, making the only potentially not purchased Congress people spoilers that jumped the line and succeeded like AOC.

Our system, imho is fucked beyond any hope of repair.

Either Collapse or revolution is inevitable though Collapse is far more likely as we’re a cowardly people.

1bluepixel,
@1bluepixel@lemmy.world avatar

Won’t somebody think about the pharma shareholders!

Compactor9679,

Didnt trump tried to do this?

Spur4383,

Did he do it?

Daft_ish,

Didn’t Trump try to win reelection?

oldbaldgrumpy,

I don’t know how this is a negotiation…big pharma overcharges the USA by a lot…we all know it. How is this not illegal? Why are they not held accountable for inflating prices for 1 group of people? Imagine if they did the to just a single race…black, white, Asian, whatever… Is t it the same thing?

Kecessa,

I thought the issue was that it wasn’t legal for the gov to negotiate prices?

SCB,

It’s not illegal because it isn’t illegal to set a price that the market can bear.

They’re not increasing prices for just one group of people, which may or may not be illegal, but rather setting a price for a given product.

This is the crux of why this has been such a tough nut to crack.

underisk,
@underisk@lemmy.ml avatar

A product which is only necessary for one group of people. A group who, through circumstances likely beyond their control, need that medication to maintain a healthy life. Thinking of life saving medication as a product to be sold is the problem.

SCB, (edited )

I don’t disagree with your intent, but this is not the way laws work in the United States. I generally share your opinion that our current methodology is not the way laws should work, but that does not change the present reality.

You asked, “How is this not illegal” and I answered that question.

underisk,
@underisk@lemmy.ml avatar

I’m not the one who asked that. I think “How is this not illegal” wasn’t intended to be taken as a literal request to explain our current legal situation in this country but more an exasperated rhetorical question to underline the jarring and obvious moral hypocrisy in our laws.

SCB,

That makes sense. I often interpret people too literally, and to me the person seemed to be literally asking why this wasn’t illegal.

I understand the frustration, and to me, the current legal framework is the source of the frustration, which is why I thought the question was both literal and apt.

K1nsey6,
@K1nsey6@lemmy.world avatar

big pharma overcharges the USA by a lot

A single months supply vial of insulin cost less to manufacture than a child’s Happy Meal

Drinvictus,

Insurance companies when you need to use their service (which you pay monthly for):

  • sorry I’m your doctor now and I’m not going to pay for that test Insurance companies when they need to bribe law makers:
  • money go brrrtr
ChaoticEntropy,
@ChaoticEntropy@feddit.uk avatar

They throw a few million in the right pockets and they make billions in return, best investment they ever made.

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