Joe Biden, who is leading a presidential campaign heavily focused on purchasing power, launched an offensive on Tuesday to lower the price of certain drugs, an initiative that the major laboratories intend to challenge in court. “Millions of Americans must choose between paying for the medications they need to live, or funding their food, rent, and other basic needs. That time is coming to an end,” the Democratic president promised in a statement.
According to a study by the Rand Corporation, the United States pays on average 2.5 times more for prescription drugs than France, for example. The reform announced on Tuesday is part of the larger law called the “Inflation Reduction Act”, a vast program of energy transition and social reforms.
The White House has initially chosen ten drugs for which Medicare will now be able to negotiate the price. This was not the case until now, unlike the health insurance schemes of many rich countries. According to the US executive, in 2022 seniors had to spend a total of $3.4 billion out of pocket to buy these prescribed treatments for blood clots, diabetes, heart problems, psoriasis, and cancers some blood.
The company that manufactures it, BMS (Bristol Myers Squibb), assures that Medicare beneficiaries to whom this drug is prescribed “can currently obtain it by paying out of pocket the relatively low amount of $55 per month on average” and assures that Joe Biden’s initiative “threatens” this situation. The Johnson Group
Joe Biden presents himself as a relentless optimist and on Tuesday lambasted again the speeches on the “decline” of America dear to the Republican candidates and in particular to his arch rival, former President Donald Trump. “Better days will come,” the Democrat promised as he concluded his speech on Tuesday.
