Protesters rallied Thursday at pharmaceutical giant Merck’s Rahway headquarters calling for it to cooperate with Medicare and negotiate lower prices for the nation’s most expensive drugs. Merck is leading a court battle to block a Biden administration initiative to make medicines more affordable for the 65 million people on Medicare.
“It is because of price-gouging and greed. There is no reason we cannot have fair and affordable drug prices,” said Maura Collinsgru of New Jersey Citizen Action.
The coalition of protesters delivered a letter to Merck CEO Robert Davis urging him to drop the lawsuit and help millions of Americans afford needed medication.
In its lawsuit, Merck calls the program “not negotiation. It is tantamount to extortion,” claiming it violates the company’s Fifth Amendment right to just compensation for private property. Other drugmakers have joined the lawsuit, as has industry lobbyist PhRMA. Its spokesman Brian Newell, said, “The way that this bill is crafted, this isn’t a negotiation. This is the government saying, ‘this is what the price is going to be, and you can take it or leave it. And if you want to leave it, here are the consequences of that.’”
Medicare is expected to announce 10 costly drugs that will kick off a series of price negotiations starting in September. The list could include cancer medications, blood thinners, and drugs for asthma and arthritis.
