President Trump on Monday attacked prescription drug companies and hinted at taking action to bring down rising drug prices.
“We are going to get prescription drug prices way down because the world is taking advantage of us,” Trump said during a wide-ranging press conference.
He noted the same drug sold outside the U.S. sometimes costs a fraction of what it does in the U.S.
“The same exact pill from the same company, same box, same everything, is a tiny fraction of what it costs in the United States,” Trump said.
Earlier in the day, Trump told Cabinet members that drug companies were “ frankly getting away with murder,” a phrase he first used on the campaign trail.
The administration has yet to take any substantive action on drug prices, but officials floated a draft executive order over the summer that would have lowered regulatory barriers for drug companies in order to increase competition.
The administration never confirmed the authenticity of the order, and has yet to release a final version. Outside experts said the policies in the draft were considered to be friendly toward the pharmaceutical industry.
House and Senate Democrats at the time said the draft order was a “betrayal” of Trump’s promises.
Trump on Monday said drug companies “contribute massive amounts of money to political people.” He added that “I’m not interested in their money. I don’t need their money.”