According to reports, United States District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta of Washington, D.C., recently decided that drug companies like Amgen, Merck & Co., and Eli Lilly do not legally have to disclose drug prices to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which means that patients will continue to have to pay sky-high prices for their medications.
While the Trump administration has been trying to hold drug companies accountable for their corrupt business practices, which in turn would lead to more affordable drugs for consumers, Judge Mehta apparently has a much different agenda that involves protecting Big Pharma against scrutiny.
"To be clear, the court does not question HHS's motives in adopting the [rule]," Judge Mehta stated in his ruling.
"Nor does it take any view on the wisdom of requiring drug companies to disclose prices. That policy very well could be an effective tool in halting the rising cost of prescription drugs. But no matter how vexing the problem of spiraling drug costs may be, HHS cannot do more than what Congress has authorized. The responsibility rests with Congress to act in the first instance," he added.
Last year, we announced the Trump administration's comprehensive plans to reign in the drug industry, a project that was to be headed up by HHS Secretary Alex Azar.
Describing the plan as the "most comprehensive" in history, Azar used the example of the EpiPen, which while it costs only about $7 to produce is now being sold by Big Pharma for a whopping $300 per dose.
Leftist judges who hate Trump believe that the American people don't have a right to know how much they're forking out for government-subsidized drugs
Back in May, Azar announced a new rule that would have required drug manufacturers to publish the list price of a 30-day supply of any drug that's currently covered through Medicare or Medicaid, and that costs at least $35 a month – information that the government should, in fact, have, seeing as how it's responsible for reimbursing drug companies through taxpayer-funded welfare programs.
But Judge Mehta doesn't think that We the People deserve to know how much we're being charged for drugs, thus his decision to continue allowing Big Pharma the liberty to hide drug prices while gouging the government-funded health care system.
"Patients have a right to know, and if you're ashamed of your drug prices, change your drug prices," Azar contends, aiming his criticism at the wholly non-transparent pharmaceutical industry. "It's that simple."
In its own defense, Big Pharma argued in court that having to be transparent about drug prices violates the drug industry's First Amendment rights – because corporations are somehow people, according to Big Pharma.
"We are disappointed in the court's decision and will be working with the Department of Justice on next steps related to the litigation," stated HHS spokeswoman Caitlin Oakley in response to Judge Mehta's egregious ruling in defense of Big Pharma's price-gouging tactics.
"Although we are not surprised by the objections to transparency from certain special interests, putting drug prices in ads is a useful way to put patients in control and lower costs."
To keep up with the latest news about how the Trump administration is fighting for consumers by going head-to-head with Big Pharma's drug cartels, be sure to check out BigPharma.Fetch.news and Trump.news.
You can also find more stories about how liberals care more about power and "impeaching Trump" than they do about fighting for what benefits all Americans at LiberalMob.com.
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