The Fresno County Democratic Central Committee has not endorsed any candidate in this race.
Friends,
For far too long, greedy insurance and pharmaceutical companies have prayed on poor communities, prioritizing their profits over the lives of sick people.
It doesn’t have to be like this. Americans pay by far the most for prescription drugs in the developed world, largely because of our inability to regulate Big Pharma. It’s immoral, nonsensical, and need to be stopped.
That’s why I’m spearheading an effort in the California Legislature to shine a spotlight on drug manufacturers and their skyrocketing pharmaceutical drug prices. SB 17 requires drugmakers to provide written notification to the state and to insurers when they decide to raise prices or introduce a new and very expensive drug, ensuring for the first time that they explain to the public why their drugs cost so much.
Despite Big Pharma’s high profile, it still operates in the shadows, and the industry likes it that way. Companies can suddenly jack up the prices of their signature drugs with no justification.
Big Pharma wants us to believe that such costs reflect the expensive nature of research and development. But a study found that for every $1 drug companies spend on R&D, they spend $19 on advertising.
This isn’t the first time we’ve tried to crack down on the pharmaceutical industry. Time and again, California and other states have tried to force Big Pharma to reveal the true costs of drugs, only to be blocked by its powerful lobby.
But we cannot let the current paradigm continue, where millions of sick people are faced with an impossible choice: pay for life-saving medicine or pay their mortgage and other necessities.
Please join us in holding Big Pharma accountable. It’s time to shine a light into the deep shadows of drug pricing.
Thanks,
Dr. Ed Hernandez
California State Senator
Candidate for Lt. Governor, 2018
P.S.: If you haven’t yet seen it, I also wanted to share with you our campaign video, highlighting my California story. It will give you a sense of who I am, my background, and what I’ve done.
To watch, click on the screen below:
P.S. to visit our website click here, to get involved click here, to follow us on Facebook click here and to follow us on Twitter click here.
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