WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to news that more than three dozen drugmakers raised the prices on hundreds of prescription drugs Jan. 1, Ben Wakana, Executive Director of Patients For Affordable Drugs, issued the following statement:

“We’re two days into the New Year, and drug corporations couldn’t wait any longer to unleash another round of price hikes. This time, CEOs like Allergan’s Brent Saunders had the gall to claim it’s responsible to ratchet up drug prices at three times the rate of inflation. We can expect more price hikes throughout 2019. The drug industry can’t police itself, so patients will double down to fix the broken system and end these drug pricing abuses.”

BACKGROUND

• According to The Wall Street Journal, “More than three dozen drugmakers raised the prices on hundreds of medicines in the U.S. on Tuesday, according to an analysis from Rx Savings Solutions, which sells software to help employers and health plans choose the least-expensive medicines. The average increase was 6.3%, according to the analysis, including increases on different doses for the same drug.”
• According to the Journal, Allergan said Tuesday that it is “committed to responsible pricing principles.”

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