Pharmaceutical companies hiked the price of 775 drugs this year so far, including Ozempic and Mounjaro — exceeding the rate of inflation::Meanwhile, Senate to consider subpoenas to force pharma CEOs testify on prices.

  • gregorum@lemm.ee
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    10 months ago

    It is important to keep track of this, but this should shock or surprise nobody.

    • DrDeadCrash@programming.dev
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      10 months ago

      What’s this US shit? These corps are international and Americans pay more (for meds) than anyone else does out of pocket.

      • puppy@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        That’s “free market capitalism”, the US insists on having for ya.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Whoa there. We’re not free market capitalism! The capitalists have been very clear that there’s too much regulation. They should be able to (checks list)

          • Indenture people who don’t pay debts
          • Force employees to live in company towns and get paid with company money. (Does not trade 1:1 with USD, value may change at any time)
          • Fire you to hire your young child. You can have quarter pay to train them. (Fingers not guaranteed)
          • Put whatever they want in food products
          • Put whatever they want in drugs, including straight up cocaine.
          • Deploy armed posses to remove people from areas the people spuriously claim are their houses. Obviously that’s actually the company’s construction site.

          See! There’s loads more freedom to be had! Don’t worry, people just won’t buy from the bad corporations. It’s not like they own literally all the brands right?

    • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      At this point? That was the motto 20 years ago. Now it’s just, “Welcome to the United States, Fuck You.”

  • qooqie@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    What can we do if even the elected officials are too big a bunch of pussies to take on pharmaceuticals?

    • 1984@lemmy.today
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      10 months ago

      Will never happen I think. Either you are too poor to risk your job, or too comfortable to risk your job.

      • GeneralVincent@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        There are some small steps that have to happen before a revolution, like more community, organization, and education. If we have those, it’s less risky losing your job.

        Personally, I joined a discord of anti-fascists (any leftists please join us, it’s ‘bashthefash’) which helps with those things. It’s not easy or quick, but don’t give up hope

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    10 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    Pharmaceutical companies have raised the list prices of 775 brand-name drugs so far this year, with a median increase of 4.5 percent, exceeding the rate of inflation, according to an analysis conducted for the Wall Street Journal.

    High-profile drugs Ozempic (made by Novo Nordisk) and Mounjaro (Eli Lilly), both used for Type II diabetes and weight loss, were among those that saw price increases.

    The asthma medication Xolair (Novartis) and the Shingles vaccine Shingrix (GlaxoSmithKline) saw price increases above 7.5 percent, the Wall Street Journal noted.

    And a provision in 2021’s American Rescue Plan Act now forces drugmakers to pay Medicaid large rebates if their drug price increases outpace inflation.

    On Thursday, Stat reported that Senate health committee chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) took steps to subpoena pharmaceutical CEOs regarding a Congressional investigation on high drug prices.

    “You have opted not for the most effective way of securing information relevant to the Committee’s important work on drug prices, but for a broad-ranging public spectacle, with witnesses you can question on pending litigation you disagree with,” Merck wrote to Sanders.


    The original article contains 647 words, the summary contains 178 words. Saved 72%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

    • CaptainSpaceman@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      The free market isnt insanely subsidized by the govt.

      Taxpayers paid for nearly ALL the research that went into those drug patents.

    • Justin@lemmy.jlh.name
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      10 months ago

      Drugs aren’t a commodity because of patents. Patents should come with a liability to price fairly.

      • moitoi@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        10 months ago

        Hopefully people get the sarcasm in my comment.

        Drugs like everything else can’t follow the free market. Free market means more wealth for the wealthiest and nothing for the 99%.

  • hedgehog@ttrpg.network
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    10 months ago

    I read through this article and the articles it linked to and wasn’t able to find a list of price increases, or even just the worst ones. The 4.5% increase is the most I saw and that’s barely more than inflation. The Reuters article they cited said that price increases during the pandemic were below inflation, so this kinda averages it out.

    The Reuters article had this tidbit:

    Truist analyst Robyn Karnauskas said in a note that Eli Lilly (LLY.N), opens new tab planned to lower the prices of its Humalog and Humulin insulins by 75.8% and 70% respectively on Dec. 30, and to raise the price of its popular diabetes drug Mounjaro by 4.5% on Jan. 1. These changes were not included in 3 Axis’ data.

    I’ll take a 4.5% price increase alongside a 70-75% price cut any day of the week. And I say that partly because much (most?) of the demand for Mounjaro is because it can be used off-label for weight loss and not for it as a drug to treat diabetes. I’m not saying weight loss drugs should be unaffordable, but it does seem reasonable to treat off-label weight loss drugs as a luxury.

  • Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    So how much of this is because pharma companies have to cap prices of some drugs because of the Inflation Reduction Act, but they still want to keep the revenue looking good for shareholders?

    • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      10 months ago

      Probably none, because it implies prices wouldn’t have risen this year beyond inflation without the IRA.

      • CaptainSpaceman@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        I think the point is, are they making up for Insulin price cap by hiking everything else up by insane amounts?

        I dont think theyre arguing greedflation wouldnt happen by pharma, just is it more than expected due to IRA?