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U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and President Joe Biden will appear together to discuss the need to lower the cost of prescription drugs on Wednesday.
"Biden and Sanders plan to discuss their joint efforts to lower the out-of-pocket cost of inhalers for tens of millions of Americans who rely on the devices to treat asthma and other conditions, speaking to an audience of about 75 health policy experts and advocates, according to White House officials who previewed the remarks," The Washington Postreports.
The event will take place at 11:00 am Eastern time.
Watch the event below:
"The Biden administration has made strides in drug pricing in response to the great many advocates demanding transformative change to end Big Pharma profiteering. But much more needs to be done," Public Citizen's Access to Medicines program director Peter Maybarduk said in a statement.
Biden has made lowering drug prices a key element of his 2024 campaign for reelection. He intends to speak about capping insulin costs for Medicare patients at $35 a month and legislation that's being worked on to cap the out-of-pocket healthcare costs for seniors at $2,000 a month.
"The caps do not solve every problem, but they certainly will benefit a large number of patients with asthma and [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] who rely on inhalers," said William Feldman, a pulmonologist and health policy researcher at Harvard Medical School.
Biden framed his healthcare initiatives as a battle against Big Pharma on Wednesday.
"Finally. We beat Big Pharma. Finally," Biden said, referencing capping insulin costs. "I’m proud of my administration taking on Big Pharma... Bernie is the one who has been leading the way for decades."
