With Harris, Biden picks a fierce pharma critic as a running mate

Joe Biden announced Sen. Kamala Harris of California as his vice presidential pick yesterday, potentially elevating a former rival, fierce pharmaceutical industry critic, and health reform advocate to the No. 2 role in government. Harris, the first Black woman and person of Indian descent on a major party ticket and who sought the 2020 presidential nomination herself, used her campaign kickoff speech to castigate drug manufacturers for the opioid crisis. After jumping into the race, she unveiled an aggressive platform on prescription drug prices that relies on international price caps and threats to use “march-in rights” to end drug maker monopolies. On health insurance, she was more cautious: Harris’ platform offered all Americans a Medicare “buy-in” but, unlike her progressive rivals, stopped short of abolishing private health insurance, instead proposing a 10-year transition from the status quo to a universal coverage system.