Daily Mirror

India pressured on health price caps

- BY BEN GLAZE Deputy Political Editor and NICK SOMMERLAD

Secretary of Health and Human Services was an exec at drugs company Eli Lilly

Ex-health department aide now at Greenwich Bioscience­s

Former Food & Drug Administra­tion official is now on the Pfizer board

Health department legal team official previously represente­d drugs firms

Senior Counsellor to Mr Azar previously provided legal services to Pfizer

The former Food and Drug Administra­tion boss co-founded drug firm

Trump aide previously worked at company that advised pharmaceut­ical firms

Health official previously provided legal services to pharmaceut­ical firms

THE extent of the cosy links between the White House and US drugs giants will fuel fears the companies are set to prey on the NHS in a post-Brexit trade deal.

At least 16 of Donald Trump’s current or former administra­tion officials work for or have worked for the pharmaceut­ical industry.

They include the Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar who earned millions running US pharmaceut­ical giant Eli Lilly while prices of its insulin drug doubled.

The US president and Boris Johnson both insist the NHS will not be part of trade negotiatio­ns after Brexit.

Trump, above, told a press conference in Britain in June “everything is on the table, so NHS, or anything else”, but then back-tracked. Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “As sure as

THE US is said to be pressuring India to drop its price caps on medical devices as part of a new trade deal between them.

Civil society group Third World Network claimed Donald Trump’s

Senior health official previously provided legal services to pharmaceut­ical firms

Health department chief previously lobbied on behalf of drugs firms

Director of Legislativ­e Affairs in WH and lobbied for pharma companies

Works at Department of Health. Formerly at law firm acting for AstraZenec­a

Trump assistant was a lobbyist for drugs company Gilead Sciences

Health department adviser was lobbyist for drugs industry trade body

was Assistant Administra­tor of DEA and consultant at firm Purdue Pharma

Is at the US Department of Health. He owned shares in Bristol-Myers Squibb night follows day a Tory victory in this general election will see Boris Johnson trying to trade our NHS to Trump.” US firms are understood to be lobbying hard for any trade deal to give them full market access to our health service. They are also pushing for an end to NHS price controls which reduce what it pays for drugs. Experts say paying US prices would push up the yearly NHS drugs bill from £18billion to £45billion. The drugs industry, known as Big Pharma, is worth £1.3trillion annually to the US economy and has one of the most powerful lobby machines in Washington. The website Big Pharma’s Best Friends, set up by transparen­cy campaigner­s Restore Public Trust, gives the number of current or former Trump officials with ties to the pharmaceut­ical industry as “at least 16”. It adds White House officials have pocketed £4.6million from the industry. government wanted changes to “public health-friendly patent laws”.

It said: “This is a matter of grave concern. Millions rely on affordable medicines, devices and vaccines.”

 ??  ?? ALEX AZAR
MARY-SUMPTER LAPINSKI
SCOTT GOTTLIEB
KELLY MARIE CLEARY
PAULA STANNARD
NED SHARPLESS
MARIA BONNER
ROBERT CHARROW
BRIAN STIMSON
JENIFER HEALY
ERIC UELAND
HEIDI STIRRUP
JOE GROGAN
JOHN O’BRIEN
DEMETRA ASHLEY
GEORGE SIGOUNAS
ALEX AZAR MARY-SUMPTER LAPINSKI SCOTT GOTTLIEB KELLY MARIE CLEARY PAULA STANNARD NED SHARPLESS MARIA BONNER ROBERT CHARROW BRIAN STIMSON JENIFER HEALY ERIC UELAND HEIDI STIRRUP JOE GROGAN JOHN O’BRIEN DEMETRA ASHLEY GEORGE SIGOUNAS
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