(Host) Congressman Bernie Sanders says the world’s largest drug maker has declared war on America’s senior citizens. Those hard words from Sanders follows the move by drug giant Pfizer to block U.S. imports of lower priced Canadian drugs.
The U.S. House voted recently to make it easier for Americans to buy drugs from Canada. But Sanders says Pfizer want to stop the imports before they start.
(Sanders) “Well, what Pfizer has just done is say – we’re not going to send any medicine into Canada if it’s going to come back into the United States. This is an insult to the one million – including many Vermonters and people throughout New England – who are purchasing safe and affordable medicine in Canada. And it’s really an outrage that a company like Pfizer would put at risk the health and well-being of so many people.”
(Host) Two other large drug companies made similar moves earlier this year. Sanders says the tactics won’t work in the long run.
(Sanders) “The drug companies are making a lot of mistakes lately. And essentially what they are telling the United States Congress and the American people is that huge profits for the industry, huge compensation packages for the CEOs are what’s important. And we, the drug companies, will do every single thing we can to make sure Americans cannot import safe and affordable medicines from Canada and elsewhere. And I think it’s going to backfire and that members of Congress are going to say – you guys have gone too far and we’re going to have to rein you in.”
(Host) The Canadian health agency says U.S. drug prices are 67% higher than in Canada. The House included the drug import plan last month in a new Medicare reform bill.