Thread by @DonnaYoungDC

Day one today of @OversightDems #drugprices hearing at 10amET: $BMY & its Celgene unit & $TEVA.
oversight.house.gov/legislation/he…

Also, at 11:30amET, @EnergyCommerce #COVID19 #vaccines hearing: energycommerce.house.gov/committee-acti…

.@RepMaloney notes that anyone in the @OversightDems room not wearing #masks will not be recognized at today's #drugpricing hearing.

#drugprices $BMY $TEVA

.@RepMaloney starts out playing clip of @RepCummings, who died last year before he could convene today's #drugpricing hearing.

He notes #pharma one of most powerful/profitable industries in the world.

#DrugPrices #pharma #biotech

In clip of @RepCummings at @OversightDems , who died last year, he says
"There are powerful interests here that don't want us to interfere with those profits."

"This is a matter literally of life & death & we have a duty to act now."

#DrugPrices #DrugPricing #pharma #biotech

.@RepMaloney remembers @RepCummings: "His fierce determination, his empathy."

#DrugPrices #DrugPricing #pharma #biotech $BMY $TEVA

.@RepMaloney says @OversightDems probe has revealed "deeply troubling facts about how companies price the drugs we all rely on."

Price increases are unsustainable.
#Pharma #biotech continue to raise prices.

#DrugPrices #DrugPricing $BMY $TEVA

.@RepMaloney: $BMY's Celgene charges $16,000 per month for Revlimid.

$TEVA's Copaxone: Raised price 27 times in 1997.
Now $70,000+ for annual course. More than median income in U.S.

She says #pharma claims they need to raise #drugprices for R&D are utterly bogus.

#DrugPricing

.@RepMaloney notes #HR3 - @SpeakerPelosi's #drugpricing bill adopted in December 2019 - was named in honor of @RepCummings.

#DrugPrices #pharma #biotech

.@RepMaloney: #DrugPrices have continued to skyrocket under Trump's tenure & #pharma executives have continued to get rich.

Trump has failed to rein in out of control drug prices.

#drugpricing #biotech $BMY $TEVA

.@OversightDems letter to members & #drugprices reports:
oversight.house.gov/sites/democrat…
$BMY Celgene:
oversight.house.gov/sites/democrat…
oversight.house.gov/sites/democrat…
$TEVA
oversight.house.gov/sites/democrat…
oversight.house.gov/sites/democrat… #pharma #biotech #drugpricing

Reminder as @RepJamesComer praises Trump, he's not done anything really to actually lower #drugprices.

Issuing proposals that go nowhere or take months/years to implement is not delivering on Trump's #drugpricing promises.

Trump's been in the White House nearly 4 years.

.@virginiafoxx spends her opening statement bashing Dems' #HR3 [adopted by the House] & promoting GOP HR19.

But she doesn't mention that "favored nations" proposal from Trump.

#drugprices #drugpricing #pharma #biotech

It would be nice if @RepMaloney calls out Republican members on Trump's "favored nations" #drugpricing proposal & asks each one of them if they support it.

#drugprices #pharma #biotech $TEVA $BMY

Republicans in their opening statements on one hand praise Trump, while not actually mentioning his key "favored nations" #drugpricing proposal but yet bashing @SpeakerPelosi's #HR3.

And of course, take the #pharma #biotech line of blaming #PBMs.

.@RepChipRoy now blaming #FDA:
"The FDA is costly and inefficient."

#pharma #biotech #drugprices #drugpricing

.@RepChipRoy advocates for removing all the "bureaucrats."

So, is he advocating for abolishing the #FDA?

#pharma #biotech #drugprices #drugpricing

.@PeterWelch: The question for Congress is whether our government will play an active role to stop price gouging by the pharmaceutical industry.

There is a disagreement about that.

#pharma #biotech #drugprices #drugpricing $BMY $TEVA

.@PeterWelch: Yes, it's true, many of these #pharma have come up with life saving & pain-relieving medications.

But they're killing us with the prices they charge.

#pharma #biotech #drugprices #drugpricing $BMY $TEVA

.@PeterWelch: They have transformed Americans' pain into #pharma's profit.

#biotech #drugprices #drugpricing $BMY $TEVA

.@PeterWelch: We are the only buyer - Medicare & Medicaid - that don't negotiate.

#biotech #drugprices #drugpricing $BMY $TEVA

.@RepMaloney notes $BMY Celgene's presentation where is describes U.S. as a "highly favorable environment with free-market pricing."

Your company loves US b/c you can keep increasing prices near as high as you want & Medicare isn't allowed to negotiate.

#pharma #drugprices

.@RepMaloney says $TEVA presentation emphasized that one of its key strengths was its ability to "increase prices successfully" which was "influenced heavily" by its US company being "allowed to hike prices."

#pharma #drugprices #drugpricing

.@EleanorNorton: The notion that in a market system we're having to debate on negotiation is very peculiar to me.

#pharma #biotech #drugprices #drugpricing $BMY $TEVA

.@virginiafoxx defending #pharma #biotech today on their high #drugprices by talking up #COVID19 #vaccines & drugs efforts.

"Human beings respond better to rewards than punishment." 🙄🙄🙄

.@GerryConnolly brings up #MartinShkreli & his attitude when he appeared before @OversightDems.

#drugprices #drugpricing #pharma #biotech

.@EnergyCommerce Oversight & Investigations hearing on #COVID19 #vaccines now underway
energycommerce.house.gov/committee-acti…
& c-span.org/video/?476344-…

.@RepDianaDeGette: Trump admin has politicized science, undermining its own public health experts at every turn. Last night at #2020Debates, Trump called the process "a very political thing." He's pressured #FDA to issue EUA for #COVID19 #vaccines.

Apparently, @RepGregWalden missed this in his list of letters/opinion pieces: 7 former FDA commissioners: The Trump administration is undermining the credibility of the FDA
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/… #FDA #COVID19 #vaccines #pharma #biotech

.@DukeMargolis Mark McClellan: White House implied #FDA plan to release additional written guidance on its expectations for EUA of #COVID19 #vaccines is unnecessarily raising the bar.

That's not the case.

.@UNMC_DrKhan: Trust in #COVID19 #vaccines will be as important if not more so than safety/efficacy, which are much easier to manage.

.@DrPaulOffit: Americans skittish about speed of #COVID19 #vaccines & it's understandable.
Phrases like #WarpSpeed, race for vaccine & finalists left wondering if critical stages being skipped
Trump admin politicization…have caused some to wonder if low standards applied to vax.

.@DrPaulOffit: If trusted health officials stand up and decry a premature release of #COVID19 #vaccines, Trump admin's celebration will be short lived.

#FDA #WarpSpeed #NIH

.@theNASEM committee co-chair @helenegayle notes the final report on equitable allocation of #COVID19 #vaccines will be released Oct. 2.

.@ashishkjha calls out $PFE for repeated claims it will have a #COVID19 vaccine out before the election

This on top of the landscape of vocal science denying anti vaxxers has created a dangerous situation that if allowed to fester could cause loss of faith in #vaccines for you.

Q: Will guardrails be sufficient for undue pressure on #FDA #COVID19 #vaccines
.@DrPaulOffit: Yes. I think it will be hard to politicize this.
@DukeMargolis McClellan agrees.
What we are more concerned about is political impact on confidence.
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/…

.@ashishkjha says it is true #FDA doesn't have to take #VRBPAC's recommendations on #COVID19 #vaccines, but it's "unhelpful" for @SteveFDA to keep reiterating that point, which is harming confidence in the vaccine & FDA.

He notes Hahn has "succumbed under pressure" before.

.@DukeMargolis Mark McClellan: EUA was implemented to give #FDA flexibility to respond in public health emergency.
It's about totality of evidence in the context.
#COVID19 #vaccines very different than #convalescentplasma & other treatments.

.@UNMC_DrKhan: There's no doubt in the past 8 months public health science been undermined.

Easy to see why anything coming out of Trump administration could be mistrusted.

#COVID19 #vaccines #FDA #CDC #NIH

.@ashishkjha: There's no doubt if you look at the numbers U.S. worst #COVID19 performer among developed countries.
U.S. has best scientific agencies in the world. But their voices have not always won the day.

#vaccines #FDA #CDC #NIH

.@ashishkjha: All political leaders need to STOP talking about timelines.
Political appointees also not been helpful

Need to ensure scientists' voices carry the day & not those of the political leaders.

#COVID19 #vaccines #FDA #CDC #NIH

.@DukeMargolis McClellan says he understands the impulse by states, like NY, that want to review #COVID19 #vaccines themselves over concern #FDA is being politicized, but urges against such moves.

#CDC #NIH

.@janschakowsky emphasizes just b/c most Americans will be covered for #COVID19 #vaccines, U.S. taxpayers are footing bill — already invested billions of dollars. If #SCOTUS invalidates #Obamacare & when public health emergency over, all Americans will pay out of pocket.

.@RepMcKinley using the @EnergyCommerce #COVID19 #vaccines hearing to do some #2020Elections campaigning for Trump ...

#2020Debates

.@RepMcKinley says to put aside political grandstanding.

Um, so, he's had that talk with Trump, right?

#COVID19 #vaccines #FDA

.@RepMcKinley blames Democrats for the "mistrust" in #COVID19 #vaccines, not Trump, who has repeatedly downplayed the virus & undermined #FDA, #CDC, #NIH.

It was Trump & his political appointees that accused FDA & CDC scientists of being "deep state" operatives.

.@DrPaulOffit: If going to go to people & say you need to get #COVID19 #vaccines, you need to tell them their group has been represented in clinical trials.
He says especially age groups must be studied.
@helenegayle says it's important to have communities of color in trials.

Can't help but remember it was @RepMGriffith during #RightToTry hearings who said he would be willing to inject monkey urine if he thought it would save his life.

#COVID19 #vaccines

.@DrPaulOffit says he disagrees with @EricTopol & Peter Doshi on #COVID19 #vaccines trials. nytimes.com/2020/09/22/opi…

"I think they're exactly wrong."

.@DukeMargolis Mark McClellan: The more we can keep the politics out of this, the better.

#COVID19 #vaccines

.@AnnMcLaneKuster pushes back at Republicans' accusations it's Democrats politicizing #COVID19 #vaccines, when it's been Trump for months now undermining #FDA, #CDC, #NIH & repeatedly insisting there would be a vaccine approved by #2020Election day.

.@DrPaulOffit says he's worried about mRNA vaccines having to be stored at way low temps
When it gets out in the real world it's hard.
I do think it's going to be an enormous challenge.

#COVID19 #vaccines #FDA #NIH #CDC