Carper “slammed for vote with drug companies”

Big Pharma deliberately misled both doctors and the general public regarding the threat of opioid addiction

In a packed room on December 13th, 2017 Sen. Tom Carper held a Town Hall on the ACA, but it quickly turned to a crowd of constituents questioning his vote to block the amendment allowing importing cheaper prescription drugs from Canada.

The amendment failed by 2 votes.

The News Journal described it as Carper “slammed for vote with drug companies.”

Kerri supports importing cheaper prescription drugs from Canada because these drugs meet the same standards as American prescriptions and doing so would make medication affordable (e.g. for seniors and low-income individuals).

People in the U.S. often pay three times as much for drugs as individuals in other countries, for the exact same products. This can mean paying thousands more every year.

Big Pharma deliberately misled both doctors and the general public regarding the threat of opioid addiction caused by their products, according to hundreds of lawsuits filed in state and federal courts. In other words, Big Pharma created the opioid crisis, a charge which has been leveled by dozens of attorneys general, including Delaware Attorney General Matt Denn.

It is for this reason that Kerri has refused to accept any donations from the pharmaceutical industry, while according to a News Journal analysis pharmaceuticals/health products are among the top industry contributors to Sen. Carper.

The continuing rise in loss of life due to opioids is one reason why Kerri has consistently been fighting alongside the Opioid Network to get Congress to commit real resources to tackle this issue.

Today, there’s even a bill in Congress focusing on tackling the opioid epidemic that Sen. Carper has thus far refused to co-sponsor, which would “provide the resources needed to begin treating the opioid crisis like the critical public health emergency it is.”

That bill is Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s and Rep. Elijah Cummings’ Comprehensive Addiction Resources Emergency (CARE) Act which “will funnel millions of dollars directly to the hardest-hit communities and give them the tools to fight back.”

Kerri would be a co-sponsor and a vocal champion of passing this legislation. Check out this clip of Kerri speaking at a press conference about the bill.

We cannot wait to address the serious opioid crisis in Delaware, that’s why Sen. Carper should join Kerri in supporting the CARE Act today.