On the recordNovember 6, 2019
let me thank my colleague from Iowa. Senator Grassley and I are friends, colleagues, and we work together on a lot of issues. We come to this body with different political philosophies, but occasionally our ideas converge, and this is one of them. We know that the pharmaceutical industry spends $6 billion a year on television advertising. If you have never seen a drug ad on TV, I know one thing for sure: You don't own a TV. You can't get away from them. Every time you turn around, there is another ad. And what are they telling you in the ads? Don't take this drug if you are allergic to this drug. How are you supposed to know that? You may die if you take this drug. They tell you everything under the Sun, except a very fundamental fact, as Senator Grassley has pointed out: How much does this cost? Xarelto--I know it takes a long time for the drug Xarelto to finally reach the point where the average consumer, the average American, can even spell it, let alone pronounce it, so they can go ask their doctor for it. And do you know how much Xarelto costs--this blood thinner-- each month? It is about $520 a month. But it is not the most heavily advertised drug on television. At least a few months ago, the most heavily advertised drug was HUMIRA. Psoriatic arthritis? Remember that ad that showed the person with the little red spot on her elbow, and they said if you take HUMIRA this may help relieve psoriasis, the patchy skin and such?…





