Paul Tonko: “Prescription drug prices are skyrocketing. Every day, constituents tell me about outrageous prices they are forced to…”

“Prescription drug prices are skyrocketing. Every day, constituents tell me about outrageous prices they are forced to pay for medications just to stay healthy. Janice from Albany, in my district, wrote me last year about a drug she takes to manage her mental illness. Her monthly cost went from $9 to $342. Irene from Hagaman has said her monthly prescriptions have jumped from $35 to $250. Regina from Rexford saw the monthly cost of her rheumatoid arthritis medicine jump from $2,800 to $3,700 in just one year. That is a bad deal. Every Member of this body has heard these stories. Despite these cries for help from our constituents, Congress has failed to act. President Trump made lowering prescription drug prices a centerpiece of his campaign. What has he done about it? America leads the world in developing new and innovative lifesaving cures, something we should be proud to continue; but many of our own citizens don't have real access to those innovative treatments. That is a bad deal. Drug pricing is complex, but in the richest Nation on Earth, no one should have to go bankrupt to obtain lifesaving medicine. We have to do better. We need greater transparency, more aggressive negotiation, no more pay- for-delay on generic drugs, and more. Democrats have a better deal to offer the American people. ____________________”