Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), announced Thursday he will be holding a vote to issue subpoenas to the CEOs of Johnson & Johnson and Merck for testimonies on drug pricing after they refused requests to appear before the Senate panel.
The subpoenas for Johnson & Johnson CEO Joaquin Duato and Merck CEO Robert Davis would have them “provide testimony about why their companies charge substantially higher prices for medicine in the U.S. compared to other countries,” according to the announcement.
“It is absolutely unacceptable that the CEOs of Johnson & Johnson and Merck have refused an invitation by a majority of members on the HELP Committee to appear before Congress about the outrageously high price of prescription drugs,” Sanders said.
Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) CEO Chris Boerner and one other unnamed pharmaceutical CEO have agreed to testify before the HELP Committee.
The Senate chair noted that all three companies manufacture some of the most expensive drugs sold in the U.S., including the diabetes medication Januvia from Merck, the blood cancer Imbruvica from Johnson & Johnson as well as the blood thinner sold as Eliquis from BMS.
When reached for comment, Johnson & Johnson said in a statement:
“Johnson & Johnson has deep respect for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions’ work, and we have continued to engage with the Committee on its proposed prescription drug hearing. As part of this engagement, we have expressed our concerns with the hearing as it is currently planned.”
Merck did not immediately respond when reached for comment.
