DSCC Statement on New Jersey Primary Results

Tonight Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman David Bergstein released the following statement:

“As a CEO for a big pharmaceutical company, Bob Hugin made his millions by keeping prescription drug costs high and misleading cancer patients. He’s one of President Trump’s biggest backers and would be a rubber stamp for the Trump Administration in the Senate. The choice between Hugin and Senator Menendez, who tirelessly fights for New Jersey, could not be clearer.”

New Jersey Advance: Trump wants lower drug prices. Menendez’s Republican challenger fought to keep them high.

• The Republican business executive challenging U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez waged a multi-year battle against efforts to lower drug prices for consumers and the federal government as it fought legislation that could cost the company billions of dollars.
• In Bob Hugin’s final year as executive chairman of Celgene Corp., the Summit-based company spent $2.8 million on lobbying in 2017, its most ever, as it helped block legislation that could have sped up generic alternatives to its biggest seller, Revlimid, used to treat the rare blood cancer multiple myeloma.
• “They’re one of the companies that has been a huge beneficiary of this abuse and loophole,” said Steven Knievel, an advocate with Public Citizen’s Access to Medicines Program, which supports the bill Celgene opposes. “They can charge monopoly prices. That is the whole game for the brand-name companies.”

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