WASHINGTON — It is a collection of news clips that terrifies corporate executives.
“Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli pleading the Fifth Amendment. Lawmakers scolding the CEOs of Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors for flying private jets to hearings at which they’d plead for a $25 billion government bailout. A committee chairman imploring a witness accused of financial crimes to “try an honest answer.”
It’s a pantheon of nationally televised corporate implosions that represents a worst-case — and increasingly plausible — scenario for the pharmaceutical industry Tuesday, when seven executives from major drug companies will testify before the Senate Finance Committee about the high cost of prescription medicines.
These ghouls and criminals will no doubt get some of the questions in advance from their friends in Congress. Lawmakers have been too lax in allowing these creatures to deflect , dissemble, and lie, while promoting these companies and themselves. Hopefully our elected representatives are catching on to these tactics, the same ones used by the tech industry. I am stocking up on popcorn for the show!
Don’t you think the CEO’s of the 3 largest PBM’s should be grilled by this congressional group? Maybe we can find out why they’re able to extort drug companies to have their drug on formulary. How about what gives them the right to pay themselves more than independent pharmacies.How about how they just take the spread between what they charge their clients and what they pay the pharmacies. How about why there is no transparency in anything they do? This congressional group must be told who is really fleecing every American along with our states and federal government. At least 10 states came forward with audits of these PBM’s and discovered billions of dollars that they stole !!!! Tell me, what is it going to take for this government of ours to see what really going on?
. . . a briefing book that was 2 feet high, with 100 tabs and extensive material behind every tab . . .
In what sense is that a briefing book. I wouldn’t be able to digest anything like that in a reasonable amount of time. A few shots of vodka would be much more useful in facing the committee. Of course for Soriot, someone should be standing by with a dart gun.