Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick: “I first want to say that I support the pharmaceutical industry and all that they have done in America over all of these…”

“I first want to say that I support the pharmaceutical industry and all that they have done in America over all of these 200-plus years. We have second to none the strongest companies who represent and who bring forth medicines that have taken care of America for a long time. I commend them for that. We support them. We want them to grow. We want them to hire American citizens. And we want them to treat Americans who need and must have their products to live. At the same time, we want the product to be affordable. There is no reason that pharmaceutical companies must make 20, 30 percent profit on their medicines when the average Fortune 500 companies make 5 to 10 percent and consider that to be a formidable profit. The pharmaceutical industry is a strong one, and we want it to remain that. But I come from the State of Michigan. My district borders, the Detroit River borders on the country of Canada. Many of my constituents, seniors, take between four to eight medicines a day. After doing the research, those medicines cost anywhere from $20 to $500 per prescription. Many of them live on fixed incomes. They have to literally choose between eating and getting their medicines. They have to choose between paying their rent or getting their medicines. These are seniors who have built America and, yes, who have built pharmaceutical companies.”