FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 16, 2018
Contact: Caroline Phelps, [email protected]
White House Call to Sue Makers of FDA-Approved Prescriptions Will Not Alleviate Opioid Epidemic
Washington, DC — In response to President Trump's call for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to bring federal lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies in an effort to curb the opioid crisis, Independent Women's Forum Senior Fellow Jennifer C. Braceras released the following statement:
“It is disappointing that President Trump has decided to jump on the litigation bandwagon in an attempt to force private drug companies to pay the government’s operating costs.
"The government has an important role to play in regulating the production and distribution of prescription medicines, as well as prosecuting those who divert medication to the black market. But suing the makers of FDA-approved prescription pain-killers will do nothing to alleviate the epidemic.
“The Administration has taken some important steps toward combating the opioid abuse crisis and IWF applauds those measures. But asking the courts to step in and regulate the pharmaceutical industry — an industry already regulated by the FDA — undermines the constitutional role of the courts and violates the separation of powers. Ultimately, President Trump’s litigation strategy harms consumers by increasing drug prices and reducing access to critical medicines.“
Since the 1990s, politicians looking for good publicity and an easy source of funding have attempted (with mixed results) to sue the makers of legal, but unpopular, products into paying for public projects and government operating costs. Braceras is the author of a new Legal Brief: Nuisance Lawsuits Won't Solve Opioid Crisis published this week by IWF. Braceras explains how government lawsuits against the makers of FDA-approved medications are simply the latest in a series of opportunistic and misguided attempts to force a massive transfer of wealth from the private sector to the public sector.
Independent Women's Forum is an educational 501(c)(3) dedicated to developing and advancing policies that aren’t just well-intended, but actually enhance people’s freedom, choices, and opportunities.
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Caroline Phelps |
