Today I took people with
diabetes across the border from Detroit to Canada to buy insulin — medication
they need to survive.
In the United States, a single
vial of insulin costs on average $340. But in Canada, the same exact drug is
just $30.
Quinn showing Bernie her
insulin on the way to Canada.
Why? Because the United States
is the only major country on earth that lets drug companies charge whatever
they want.
One in four people with
diabetes ration their insulin because it is so expensive. That means American
people die because of corporate greed.
Jillian talking to Bernie
about her insulin on the bus ride to Canada.
So I took people with diabetes
to a pharmacy in Windsor, Ontario — just a 20 minute drive from Detroit — to
buy the drugs they need to survive.
Inside the pharmacy Bernie
visited in Canada today, where drugs cost one-tenth the price of what they cost
in the United States.
While we were there, people
were able to buy the same drugs at one-tenth of the cost. One family from
Indiana told me in the pharmacy that they skip paying their electric bill in
order to pay for their son’s insulin. They paid $1,000 today for six months of
insulin. It would have cost them $10,000 in the United States.
This family saved $9,000 by
buying insulin in Canada.
We have to ask ourselves why
this is possible. And it is because of two factors: the greed of the
pharmaceutical manufacturers, and the fact that these companies buy off
politicians who will protect their greed.
These lower prices are
possible in Canada because that country negotiates drug prices with drug
companies. They have the common sense to say that drug company profits are not
more important than the lives of their citizens.
Bernie speaking outside of the
pharmacy.
The United States must
negotiate for lower drug prices, and it must allow cheaper drugs to be imported
from other countries.
Our job now is to end the
incredible corruption and greed in the pharmaceutical industry.
Sign my petition — tell
Congress you believe the government should negotiate with drugmakers for lower
prices and allow for the importation of less expensive but safe and affordable
drugs from other countries.
When we are in the White
House, we will take on Big Pharma and we will win. Thank you for being a part
of this.
In solidarity,
Bernie Sanders
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