3. Flip flop – Harris would look pro pharma after campaigning against them.

As VP Kamala Harris enters the presidential race, her strong stances for reproductive rights and drug access offer insights into future actions. Lowering drug costs In a June 2023 statement, the nursing organisation National Nurses United endorsed Harris as a candidate for vice president, praising the current Administration’s passing of the Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022. The bill allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices with drug manufacturers to help curb inflation. Harris has also previously boasted about the success of the Administration and its role in capping insulin prices to $35 a month through the Inflation Reduction Act, in a 20 July tweet. Many have spoken out in support of the legislation, but some members of the pharmaceutical industry remain dissatisfied with the change. In August 2023, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) responded to the bill saying, the legislation was the result of a “rushed process” with the aims of “short-term political gain”. The pharmaceutical trade body argued that the medicines selected thus far already had significant rebates and discounts, because of private negotiations on Medicare Part D prices. In an August 2023 statement, Harris stated that the administration still has plans to cap the total cost of prescription drugs at $2,000 a year. “There are many factors that drive up healthcare costs and make medications more expensive,” she added.