WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters)—U.S. Senators called drug pricing practices “morally repugnant” and told drug company executives they do not want to hear them blame others for the high prices, taking an aggressive stance at the start of a Senate hearing on the rising costs of prescription medicines. Executives from Abbvie Inc., AstraZeneca PLC., Sanofi SA, Pfizer…
U.S. Senate Finance Committee Invites Pharma Execs to Testify
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—A powerful U.S. Senate committee on has invited seven pharmaceutical companies to testify at a hearing later this month examining rising prescription drug prices. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), ranking member of the committee, invited executives from AbbVie Inc., AstraZeneca PLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.,…
Opioid Makers Paid Millions to Advocacy Groups
(Reuters)—Five opioid manufacturers, including OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP, have paid more than $10 million to advocacy groups and doctors tied to them, many of whom amplified industry messages supporting the use of the painkillers, a U.S. Senate report said on Monday.1 The report, released by Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), says groups who received the…
Republican Bill to Repeal Obamacare Teeters on Edge of Collapse
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The latest Republican effort to repeal former U.S. President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law faced possible defeat this week as several senators in the party voiced concerns about the bill under consideration. The U.S. Senate is up against a Saturday deadline for deciding the fate of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, popularly known as…
Republican Bid to Gut Obamacare Fails in Senate
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—A U.S. Senate led by Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans dealt the president a harsh blow on Friday, failing to move ahead with a major campaign promise to dismantle Obamacare as they fell one vote short of passing healthcare legislation. Three senators—John McCain (R-Az.), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Ala.)—joined Senate Democrats in the…
U.S. Senate Rejects Obamacare Repeal Again, Eyes a ‘Skinny’ Bill
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Republicans in the U.S. Senate fell short again on Wednesday in their effort to end Obamacare, rejecting a measure to repeal large portions of President Barack Obama’s signature law that has provided health insurance to millions of Americans. But Republican Senate leaders, struggling to keep a seven-year-old promise to unravel the law, already were…