Pfizer CEO says Trump’s executive orders overhauling U.S. drug pricing will upend the industry – CNBC

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President Donald Trump‘s executive orders aimed at lowering U.S. prescription drug costs will cause “enormous destruction” as the pharmaceutical industry races to develop vaccines and treatments for the coronavirus, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told investors Tuesday.

Trump on Friday signed four executive orders designed to bring U.S. drug prices at least on par with their costs overseas.

“Overall, I’m disappointed with this executive order,” Bourla said during a conference call discussing the company’s second-quarter earnings. “They pose enormous destruction in a time when the industry needs to be completely focused on developing a potential Covid-19 vaccine or treatment.”

Company spokeswoman Amy Rose later emailed CNBC to clarify that Bourla actually said the orders were an “enormous distraction” for drugmakers working on coronavirus vaccines and that several services “mis-transcribed” the word as “destruction.” A transcript service from data provider FactSet provided a third interpretation of his comments. FactSet quoted Bourla, who is Greek and speaks with an accent, as saying the new orders would create “enormous disruption” in the industry. CNBC stands by the original quote.

Trump has made lowering drug costs one of his key health-care issues early in his term. But drug pricing has taken a backseat over the last year as the Trump administration has shifted its focus to other priorities such as the teen vaping epidemic and now the coronavirus. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America called the executive orders a “reckless distraction.”

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/28/pfizer-ceo-says-trumps-executive-orders-overhauling-us-drug-pricing-will-cause-enormous-destruction.html

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