[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 75 (Wednesday, May 9, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H3867]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES ARE SKYROCKETING

  (Ms. SCHAKOWSKY asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, the skyrocketing costs of prescription 
drugs are forcing families to make impossible choices every day.
  No one in America should have to decide between putting food on the 
table and paying for the lifesaving medication their children need, but 
pharmaceutical corporations will keep raising their prices for one 
simple reason: because they can.
  There are a number of things that we can do, and number one is 
negotiate prescription drug prices under Medicare; number two, shed 
light on the pharmaceutical corporations' drug pricing system; number 
three, end patent system abuse by eliminating tactics that thwart 
competition; number four, allow safe importation of prescription drugs 
from other countries; and number five, ensure access to affordable 
drugs through fair trade agreements.
  Lukewarm pharma-friendly approaches just won't work. Failing to take 
truly meaningful action could mean the difference between life and 
death.

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