Grassley touches on variety of issues in Charles City stop

Sen. Charles Grassley shared his prescription for fighting higher drug prices with a roomful of pharmaceutical manufacturing employees last week in Charles City.
The Iowa Republican took a tour of the Cambrex plant, then sat down for a question-and-answer period with Cambrex workers.
The first question, after Grassley gave a few introductory remarks, involved drug prices.
“One of the things you and the administration have said is the cost of prescription drugs is too high for most Americans,” the questioner said. “Now, being involved in the manufacture of prescription drugs, a lot of people in this room maybe know why the prices are what they are. Can you elaborate as to what the plan is to try to bring that cost to be more affordable?”
Cambrex manufactures a wide range of active pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates, including highly potent molecules and controlled substances. These are some of the chemicals that other companies use to manufacture patent and generic medications.
Grassley said he had three or four ideas, but legislation is difficult to get passed because of opposition by “Big Pharma” — the large pharmaceutical companies.

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He acknowledged that one of the things he favors might not be popular with his audience.
 
For more of this article, see Friday's Tribune.