FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: PATRICK EGAN
[email protected] (646) 979-0621
New York, NY — Wendy Long, the U.S. Senate nominee in New York opposing U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), today said:
“The Epipen price gouging highlights a huge overall problem: Chuck Schumer bears responsibility for skyrocketing drug costs and artificial shortages, because he is neck-deep in the pay-to-play political corruption involving the drug industry and the hospital group purchasing industry.
“This is yet another example of how the system is rigged, and the Washington Establishment collects money to help themselves, not the American people.
“I myself was shocked at the $600 sticker price on Epipens that my own family had to purchase.
“What the mainstream news media seem to miss is that many times corruption takes the form of keeping quiet — NOT investigating, NOT taking action in terms of hearings and legislation. And for someone with as big a mouth as Chuck Schumer, it’s significant to note when he keeps it shut.
“New York’s U.S. Rep. Grace Meng and Connecticut’s U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal immediately jumped on Mylan last week about the EpiPen issue. Not Chuck Schumer.
“Funny how he collected $10,000 just from both the Mylan Inc. PAC and by Mylan CEO Heather Bresch personally. Bresch’s donations were just two months ago. This is only one small example. Drug companies, executives, and the hospital group purchasing industry, are among some of his biggest bundlers and donors of campaign cash.
“Although Mylan apparently justified the dramatic increase in price for EpiPen based on its patented injection system, the fact remains that the active ingredient-generic epinephrine-has been on the FDA’s drug shortages list for more than four years: FDA Drug Shortages.
“And no member of Congress is more responsible for the artificial shortages and skyrocketing costs of generic prescription drugs generally than Chuck Schumer. That’s because no one has done more than Schumer to block reform of the corrupt hospital group purchasing industry, which controls the purchasing of $300 billion in drugs, devices and supplies annually for about 5,000 healthcare facilities.
“Why would Schumer keep quiet about these problems and block reform? Because this industry, including the Greater New York Hospital Association, is one of Schumer’s biggest bundlers of campaign cash. Yet another example of how Mr. Schumer, who professes to be an opponent of “special interests,” is one of their biggest allies in the U. S. Senate.
“As The New York Times just editorialized, Congress must examine the bigger problem. Rest assured that will never happen as long as Schumer remains in the U. S. Senate.
“I promise the people of New York that I will get to the bottom of this drug shortage and price gouging problem and will fight for free markets and competition to remedy these problems, instead of letting big corporate interests pay for monopolies and price gouging and instead of letting big government artificially rig markets.
“And every single donor to my campaign — most of whom are hardworking individuals making small donations anyway — must sign a release promising never to ask me for favors and understanding that they will never get any. That, in addition to term limits and lobbying restrictions that I have pledged to introduce, can break the back of the corruption and pay to play system that Chuck Schumer is a part of in Washington, D.C.”