Sanders report finds drug prices surged despite Trump's intervention

The report, titled The Art of the Bad Deal, reveals that 15 of the 17 drugmakers contacted by the president in July raised prices on at least one product. Staffers for the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee noted a median price increase of 5.5% across the studied brand-name and generic drugs. Among the most extreme examples, Eton Pharmaceuticals increased the cost of Galzin from $5,400 to $88,800 annually, a 1,555% jump that far outpaces prices for the same treatment in the United Kingdom or Germany.

Major pharmaceutical players also contributed to the trend. Novartis hiked the price of the cancer drug Kymriah to $594,000, while Vertex raised the cost of the cystic fibrosis treatment Trikafta to $365,000. Johnson & Johnson increased the prices of both its blood thinner Xarelto and the depression treatment Spravato. The document warns that these spikes are likely to accelerate due to new tariff policies on imported pharmaceutical products, which insurers suggest will force higher premiums onto American patients.

Sanders argues that voluntary commitments and executive orders have failed to curb industry greed. He contends that meaningful change requires legislation like his Prescription Drug Price Relief Act, which would peg U.S. drug costs to the median prices found in other major nations. Although Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. previously expressed interest in collaborating on such measures, the report states that the department ceased communication after a single meeting.