Republican senator: pharma’s arguments against putting drug prices in TV ads are ‘patronizing’

WASHINGTON — A Republican senator isn’t buying the drug industry’s arguments against a proposal to put drug prices in television ads.

“It’s incredibly patronizing to think the patient will not make a wise decision for herself,” Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said Thursday at an event hosted by STAT on drug pricing and the incoming Congress.

PhRMA, the trade association for drug makers, has said including the sticker price for a drug in a TV ad could confuse consumers and “discourage patients from seeking needed medical care.” The Trump administration, like Cassidy, doesn’t put any stock in that argument. When it first announced the policy in October, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the complaints were themselves misleading.

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