"Senate Hearing: Big Pharma Execs Defend High Drug Prices Amid Calls for Cost Reduction"

A Senate committee chaired by Sen. Bernie Sanders grilled top executives of pharmaceutical companies over high prescription drug prices in the U.S., with a focus on why Americans pay more than people in other nations. The executives defended their pricing and blamed drug-pricing middlemen for list price increases, while Sanders accused the pharmaceutical industry of benefiting from high drug prices. The hearing comes as the Biden administration negotiates Medicare drug prices and challenges patents for high-priced drugs developed with federal research money.