{"id":2233297,"date":"2024-04-30T05:28:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T09:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sherrod-brown-says-big-pharma-is-price-gouging-the-industry-has-given-him-1-4-million\/"},"modified":"2024-04-30T05:33:25","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T09:33:25","slug":"sherrod-brown-says-big-pharma-is-price-gouging-the-industry-has-given-him-1-4-million","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sherrod-brown-says-big-pharma-is-price-gouging-the-industry-has-given-him-1-4-million\/","title":{"rendered":"Sherrod Brown accuses Big Pharma of price gouging, backed by $1.4 million from the industry"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsherrod-brown-says-big-pharma-is-price-gouging-the-industry-has-given-him-1-4-million%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2233297&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senator Sherrod Brown from Ohio has spoken out against \u2063Big Pharma&#8217;s price hikes on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-to-lower-insulin-prices-without-democrats-price-controls\/\" title=\"How to Lower Insulin Prices Without Democrats\u2019 Price Controls\">life-saving medications<\/a>, attributing them\u2064 to corporate greed.\u2064 Despite his stance, he has received substantial\u2063 donations\u2062 from the pharmaceutical industry, including companies facing legal accusations of price inflation. As he seeks re-election \u2063in 2024, his financial ties may spark criticism amid his advocacy\u200c for\u200c affordable healthcare.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>To Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Big Pharma is jacking up prices for life-saving drugs to enrich its corporate executives. Now, as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ohio\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Ohio<\/a> Democrat seeks a fourth term in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>2024<\/a>, he is one of the top recipients of donations among senators from the pharmaceutical industry \u2014 including companies being accused in court of inflating the cost of insulin. <\/p>\n<p>Brown\u2019s campaign has accepted more than $1.4 million since 2006 from pharmaceutical companies and employees, with $210,000 of that sum flooding in this current election cycle. His campaign and leadership PAC have also taken hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years from lobbyists for the industry, according to Federal Election Commission filings. At the same time, Brown positions himself as a staunch <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search?q=big%20pharma%20(from%3ASherrodBrown)&#038;src=typed_query&#038;f=live\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>foe<\/a> of Big Pharma, which he blames for price gouging amid record inflation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBig Pharma puts profits over patients,\u201d Brown said in April while touting his prior backing of the Inflation Reduction Act, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goldmansachs.com\/intelligence\/pages\/gs-research\/carbonomics-the-third-american-energy-revolution\/report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>an<\/a> estimated $1.2 trillion spending package signed into law in 2022 by President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Joe Biden\">Joe Biden<\/a>. \u201cThe purpose of insulin is to save lives, not enrich Big Pharma executives. That\u2019s why we <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-reveals-an-inflation-reduction-act-regret-i-wish-i-hadnt-called-it-that\/\" title=\"Biden expresses regret over naming the Inflation Reduction Act.\">capped insulin costs<\/a> for Ohioans on Medicare. That\u2019s why we\u2019re working to cap insulin costs for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brown\u2019s willingness to pocket large checks from the pharmaceutical industry will likely open the lawmaker up to hypocrisy accusations as he makes his case to Ohio voters that he\u2019s the right candidate for the Buckeye State\u2019s competitive Senate seat. The Democrat will face off this November against businessman Bernie Moreno, who won a tense GOP primary and was endorsed by former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a>. The race is a toss-up, according to the <em>Cook Political Report<\/em>, a nonpartisan elections tracking website.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH) speaks during a hearing on illicit finance and terrorism, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo\/Stephanie Scarbrough)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, Brown has done a victory lap on its provision capping insulin prescription costs at $35 per month for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicare.gov\/drug-coverage-part-d\/what-medicare-part-d-drug-plans-cover\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>enrollees<\/a> in Medicare Part D. However, right-of-center economics experts argue price controls such as those covered under the law will, in the long-term, lead to shortages and threaten supply, while creating an overly regulated system with burdensome taxes.<\/p>\n<p>Ahead of the 2024 election, Brown is <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search?q=big%20pharma%20(from%3ASenSherrodBrown)&#038;src=typed_query&#038;f=live\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>telling<\/a> Ohio voters he will \u201ckeep fighting\u201d to cap insulin prices. He <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SherrodBrown\/status\/1782774052672704665\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>released<\/a> a campaign ad in April depicting an Ohio resident named Mindy Hedges, a Brown and Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/receipts\/individual-contributions\/?contributor_name=mindy%20hedges\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>donor<\/a>, asserting the senator \u201cstood up to the drug companies\u201d and \u201ccares so much for the people of Ohio.\u201d In February, Brown helped introduce a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brown.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/shrinkflation_prevention_act.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>bill<\/a> that would direct the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to pursue civil actions against certain corporations deemed to be hiking prices.<\/p>\n<p>But Brown has yet to swear off campaign donations from Big Pharma. He\u2019s accepted almost $60,000 from PACs for corporations that were accused in March in a <a href=\"https:\/\/phillyda.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Philly-DAO-insulin-litigation-Commonwealth-v.-Eli-Lilly-et-al.pdf?utm_source=Main+Media+List&#038;utm_campaign=0fe439f4f8-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_07_22_01_40_COPY_01&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_term=0_3be4269e47-0fe439f4f8-78398061\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>lawsuit<\/a> by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat, of illegally \u201ccolluding to inflate the consumer cost of insulin.\u201d Those include CVS and Medco Health, among others.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the K Street cash keeps flowing to Brown. \u201cLike a river,\u201d said a Republican political strategist aligned with Moreno. <\/p>\n<p>Lobbyists for companies targeted through the Krasner lawsuit and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fiercehealthcare.com\/payer\/blues-plans-sue-cvs-claiming-pharmacies-inflated-prices-for-generics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>similar<\/a> lawsuits challenging drug prices have transferred more than $300,000 to Brown\u2019s campaign and leadership PAC, financial disclosures show. That largesse includes $104,000 that lobbyists for UnitedHealth Group, the Minnesota-based healthcare parent company of Optum, donated to the Senate Democrat.<\/p>\n<p>Brown, whose <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jay-heimbach-a75a50158\/details\/experience\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>former<\/a> chief of staff Jay Heimbach lobbied in recent years for Cigna and the drugmaker Amgen, has also accepted around $237,000 from Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen PACs, lobbyists, and employees. <\/p>\n<p>The healthcare giants are said to distribute 90% of the drug and medical supplies in the United States and have been sued for allegedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/04\/22\/health\/opioids-lawsuits-distributors.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>fueling<\/a> the opioid crisis, a top issue facing Ohio. The trio of companies <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasdaq.com\/articles\/amerisourcebergen-cardinal-health-and-mckesson-agree-to-settle-opioid-lawsuits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> in 2022 they would agree to settle opioid-related lawsuits with state and local governments to the tune of roughly $19.5 billion over 18 years.<\/p>\n<p>Brown campaign spokeswoman Reeves Oyster declined to comment to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> on if the senator will swear off or return donations from Big Pharma. She said Brown \u201ccontinues to fight to lower the cost of medicine for Ohioans and hold Big Pharma accountable for putting profits ahead of people,\u201d pointing to his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brown.senate.gov\/newsroom\/press\/release\/president-signs-browns-bipartisan-bills-to-help-customers-save-money-at-the-pharmacy-counter-into-law\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>support<\/a> of both the Inflation Reduction Act and bipartisan legislation signed by Trump in 2018 aiming to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-you-need-to-know-about-trumps-latest-drug-pricing-moves\/\" title=\"What You Need To Know About Trump\u2019s Latest Drug Pricing Moves\">lower drug prices<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Brown holds a 6.7% lead over Moreno among a mix of likely and registered voters, according to polling averages. Outside spending for the Ohio seat has reached $28 million, more than any other race this cycle, while candidates raised $65 million combined through March, the third most.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Brown, according to the Moreno campaign, can\u2019t have it both ways regarding the Big Pharma checks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSherrod Brown is a fraud who talks tough on opposing Big Pharma and big corporations but is happy to have them bankroll his reelection,\u201d said Reagan McCarthy, a spokeswoman for Moreno.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) criticizes Big Pharma for hiking prices on essential medications to benefit top executives. As he eyes a fourth term in 2024, he ranks high among senators receiving donations from the industry. Companies facing legal accusations of inflating prices are among his donors<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":2233298,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP23354607982928-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2233297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP23354607982928-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2233297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2233297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2233297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2233298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2233297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2233297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2233297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}