McCaskill: Drug pricing still ‘a stinking stew of a mess’

Last year, Claire McCaskill learned that bipartisan outrage over drug prices wasn’t enough to protect her Senate seat. But the long-time pharma critic hasn’t changed her opinion of the drug lobby — or softened her rhetoric.

Speaking to STAT’s Lev Facher, McCaskill said drug pricing regulations in the U.S. remain “a stinking stew of a mess,” but there are some popular ideas that could chip away at the rising cost of medicine. But passing meaningful legislation will mean outmaneuvering the pharmaceutical lobby, a group McCaskill said has deftly woven itself into the power structures of Congress.

“They're very expert,” she said. “It's not a $2,700 contribution to a senator; it's not a $10,000 PAC check to a congressman. It is developing relationships with key committee people and particularly leadership.”

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