For Immediate Release
Trump's HHS Pick Has History Of Price Gouging
Americans for Tax Fairness Report Shows that Eli Lilly Price Gouged and Tax Dodged While Alex Azar Was U.S. Division President
WASHINGTON - Earlier today, Donald Trump's nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, testified in front of the Senate Finance Committee that "drug prices are too high" while taking no responsibility for his role in raising the price of drugs.
- Raised retail price of diabetes treatment Humalog Kwik-pen by 90%
- Raised retail price of osteoporosis treatment Evista by 52%
- Raised Medicare price of osteoporosis treatment Forteo by 89%
- More than doubled its stock price (increased 141%) from 2011 to 2015
- Increased its pile of untaxed offshore profits by 36% from 2011 to 2016, from $20.6 billion to $28 billion
- Has 35 subsidiaries located in tax havens
- Paid an effective U.S. tax rate of only 17% from 2008-2015, less than half the official 35% rate
This is the world we live in. This is the world we cover.
Because of people like you, another world is possible. There are many battles to be won, but we will battle them together—all of us. Common Dreams is not your normal news site. We don't survive on clicks. We don't want advertising dollars. We want the world to be a better place. But we can't do it alone. It doesn't work that way. We need you. If you can help today—because every gift of every size matters—please do.
Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF) is a diverse campaign of more than 425 national, state and local endorsing organizations united in support of a fair tax system that works for all Americans. It has come together based on the belief that the country needs comprehensive, progressive tax reform that results in greater revenue to meet our growing needs. This requires big corporations and the wealthy to pay their fair share in taxes, not to live by their own set of rules.
