WASHINGTON — Lawmakers sharply criticized the CEOs of three major drugmakers during a Senate committee hearing on Thursday, saying the exorbitant cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. means many Americans are unable to afford the medications they need to live. Prescription drug prices in the U.S. are notoriously higher than other countries, a stark discrepancy that Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., called out.
They also noted that the higher prices mean U.S. patients often get access to the medications years before people in other countries. 'This is in stark contrast to many systems outside the United States, which while they may deliver lower prices, carry an often overlooked trade off that patients often wait longer for new medicines,' Boerner, of Bristol Myers Squibb, said. The executives also said that if the U.S.