<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/1/2/1909015/-Drug-companies-celebrate-2020-with-price-hikes?detail=emaildkre" class="">https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/1/2/1909015/-Drug-companies-celebrate-2020-with-price-hikes?detail=emaildkre</a><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class="col-sm-12"><div class="top-story-image"><div class="story-image-wrapper"><figure class="width-xl"><div class="story-image width-xl"><div class="clearfix"></div>
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<div class="story-intro story-content"><p class="">Confident in their ability to keep Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell
on their side and protecting them no matter what they do, a bevy of
drugmakers have <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-drugpricing-exclusive/exclusive-drugmakers-from-pfizer-to-gsk-to-hike-u-s-prices-on-over-200-drugs-idUSKBN1YZ1C4" title="" class="">celebrated the new year with price hikes</a> on more than 200 prescription drugs.</p><p class="">That's from information from the drugmakers themselves and from a
healthcare research firm called 3 Axis Advisors. Among the companies
raising prescription drug prices are Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, and
Sanofi. The price hikes are almost entirely under 10%, showing a modicum
of control by the companies, falling mostly in the range of 4-6%. More
price increases from more companies are expected to be announced by the
end of this week.</p><p class="">This against the <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/12/31/792617538/a-decade-marked-by-outrage-over-drug-prices" title="" class="">backdrop</a> of a citizenry increasingly angered by a decade of price hikes; curbing those costs <a href="https://craftmediabucket.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/AV-Summary-of-Polling-Project_052119_FINAL.pdf" title="" class="">tops voters’ concerns</a> in polling on healthcare issues. Fully one-quarter of people taking prescription drugs <a href="https://www.kff.org/health-costs/poll-finding/kff-health-tracking-poll-february-2019-prescription-drugs/" title="" class="">report</a> that the cost of drugs makes it difficult to afford them, and 10% say it is "very difficult" to afford them.</p><p class="">Meanwhile, Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell are working together to block <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/12/12/1905242/-House-Democrats-pass-bill-to-lower-prescription-drug-costs-dramatically-improve-Medicare" title="" class="">legislation passed by House Democrats</a>
to lower prescription drug prices and to keep drug companies from
charging Americans more than people pay for drugs in other countries.
That's not a good look for Republicans. Nor is it a good look for Big
Pharma. </p><p class="">It is, however, one more element in what is a very strong case for Democrats in 2020.</p><p class=""><strong class=""><a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/dkendorses2020senate?refcode=20200102JM1" title="" class="">Republicans
don't care about your health care. They've got to go. Please give $1 to
help Democrats in each of these crucial Senate races!</a></strong></p><div class=""><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div></div></div></div>
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