President Donald Trump met with drug company executives on Jan. 31, 2017, to discuss the state of the pharmaceutical industry and spiraling drug prices, according to The Hill.
Here are five points:
1. While the president has critiqued high prices, he told the executives they have done "a tremendous job," The Hill reports.
2. However, President Trump said they need to work to lower prices which he referred to as "astronomical."
3. President Trump has supported speeding up the drug approval process and implored drug companies to bring jobs back to the United States.
4. The president met with executives from companies including, but not limited to:
● Kenilworth, N.J.-based Merck
● Summit, N.J.-based Celgene
● New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson
● Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based Amgen
● Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly
5. Drug lobbying group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America representatives were also present at the meeting. Stephen Ubl, PhRMA's president and CEO, said in a statement, "Our industry takes seriously the concerns raised about the affordability and accessibility of prescription medicines, and we have expressed our commitment to working with the administration to advance market-based reform."
