From both a public health and economic perspective, the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on our country. More than 210,000 people have died, more than 435,000 individuals have been hospitalized, and more than 10 million jobs have been lost nationally. The US economy was 10 percent smaller in June than it was last December and is not projected to fully recover until some point in 2021 at the earliest.
“‘I think it creates confusion for the negotiators. Republicans on the Hill are looking for a signal from the president. They are looking for leadership on this, and he’s oscillating,’ Brill said.”
“The report finds that extending patents on just those five drugs [Prilosec, TriCor, Suboxone, Doryx, and Namenda] will result in a cost to the U.S. health care system of $4.7 billion annually—money that in theory could have been saved if the drugs had been available in a generic form.”
We recently had the honor of testifying before the House Ways and Means Committee on the effects of inaction on coronavirus fiscal legislation. One of us was invited by the Republicans and the other by the Democrats. The basis of the hearing was the Heroes Act, a $3 trillion bill that passed the House in the spring on a party line vote with about $1 trillion in tax cuts and $2 trillion in new spending.
“An anti-competitive tactic used by brand-name drugmakers called product hopping costs the U.S. healthcare system at least $4.7 billion annually, according to a study from Matrix Global Advisors.”
