Election 2020: Drug pricing is hot

More so than any election in the past, Democratic contenders for the 2020 presidential run are focused on proposals to lower drug prices. After all, President Trump himself has focused on the issue — and his would-be challengers are now talking at length about prescription drug policy, STAT’s Lev Facher writes.

Democratic talking points zero in on three distinct areas: Medicare negotiation of drug prices, importation of drugs from other countries, and the fostering of generic drug competition. Some candidates have also been playing off Trump’s interest in preventing drug makers from charging higher prices stateside than in other developed countries, thus aligning closer with the president than some of his fellow Republicans.