Pharma back in hot seat as 2020 presidential election gets into gear

Once again, we are watching presidential debates with too many candidates to fit on one stage. And once again, pharma is proving itself an easy target. As the first Democratic presidential debates kicked off this week, candidates took numerous shots at drugmakers in an early sign the industry will face plenty of tough questions throughout the 2020 cycle. The candidates blasted corporate power in the U.S. in general—and pharma in particular, using words like "corruption" and "greed." They raised some familiar ideas for cracking down on drug prices, including Medicare price negotiations. And as one might expect, they vowed to take action against pharma, rather than just talk about it. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said the current economic setup has benefited “giant drug companies” and other industries, but it hasn’t helped regular citizens. “When you've got a government, when you've got an economy that does great for those with money and isn't doing great for everyone else, that is corruption, pure and simple,” she said. Sen. Cory Booker said pharma companies "often have monopolistic holds on drugs" and use that power to raise prices. The senator’s state is home to several of the top drugmakers worldwide, including Merck & Co. and Johnson & Johnson. He's pledged to not take pharma's contributions this election cycle. Drugmakers have hiked prices routinely for years, and critics have spent years pushing back. Politicians have made plans to lower prices and spent considerable time debating the issue, but Sen. Bernie Sanders said now is the time for action.