SANDERS LIKES TO POINT OUT THAT HIS CAMPAIGN IS FUNDED BY
REGULAR AMERICANS.
HE DOESN'T HAVE A SUPER PAC, AND NOW WE CAN ADD ONE MORE
THING TO THAT LIST, HE DOES NOT TAKE MONEY FROM MORALLY
QUESTIONABLE CEOS OR PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES.
HE WAS APPROACHED BY MARTIN SHKRELI, THE CEO OF TURING
PHARMACEUTICALS.
HE BECAME FAMOUS RECENTLY
BECAUSE HE CHOSE TO RAISE THE PRICE OF TOXOPLASMOSIS
TREATMENT BY 4000 PERCENT.
HE BECAME SORT OF THE POSTER BOY FOR DRUG CRISIS PRICES
BEING UNNECESSARILY INCREASED.
HE WANTED TO TALK TO BERNIE SANDERS AND EXPLAIN HIS
SIDE OF THINGS.
HE DONATED
THE INDIVIDUAL MAXIMUM OF $2700
TO SANDER'S CAMPAIGN ON SEPTEMBER 28.
DURING THE DEBATE WHEN HE HEARD BERNIE SANDERS SAYING THAT
WE CAN'T TRUST THESE PEOPLE AND THAT THEY ARE TRYING TO PROFIT
OFF HUMAN SUFFERING, HE SAID HE WANTED TO GET IN TOUCH WITH HIM.
SO HE SET UP ñ WANTED TO SET UP A PRIVATE MEETING TO
EXPLAIN HIS SIDE OF THINGS.
BERNIE SANDERS IS NOT HAVING IT.
THE SANDERS CAMPAIGN SPOKESMAN MICHAEL BRIGGS SAID, "THE
CAMPAIGN WILL MAKE A $2700 DONATION TO THE WHITMAN
WALKER CLINIC IN WASHINGTON DC.
WE ARE NOT KEEPING THE MONEY
FROM THIS POSTER BOY FOR DRUG COMPANY GREED."
DAMN.
THAT IS AWESOME.
THAT IS COOL.
HOW CRAZY IS THAT.
I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS.
THE FACT THAT MARTIN SHKRELI DONATED TO A POLITICIAN WHO
HAS POLICIES THAT GO AGAINST EVERYTHING THAT SHKRELI IS
PUSHING FOR, SHOWS YOU HOW EASILY POLITICIANS
CAN BE BOUGHT.
IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU ARE FROM A DRUG COMPANY OR A
MASSIVE CORPORATION, USUALLY THAT POLITICIAN CAN BE
BOUGHT OFF AT A CHEAP PRICE.
IN THIS CASE, BERNIE SANDERS IS SHOWING JUST HOW HE IS NOT
WILLING TO BE INFLUENCED BY CAMPAIGN DONATIONS.
I LOVE IT.
JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU CAN'T LOVE HIM ENOUGH, HE DOES THIS.
I THINK IT'S GREAT.
VERY TRUE.
A SIDEBAR, WHO IS RUNNING MARTIN SHKRELI'S PR CAMPAIGN?
YOU HAVE ALL OF THE MONEY IN THE WORLD.
YOUR IMAGES IS IN THE TOILET.
YOU CAN HAVE THE BEST PR PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.
AT THE VERY LEAST CHANGE YOUR NAME SO IT WOULD BE HARDER
TO FIND YOU.
THIS IS RIDICULOUS.
DIDN'T YOU KNOW BERNIE WOULD DO THIS?
AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW WHO IS RUNNING YOUR PR, BUT HIRE
SOMEONE.
IT MAKES IT TOO EASY.
THIS CAME OUT WHILE HE WAS LIVE TWEETING THE DEBATE.
IF YOU ARE THE TARGET OF A NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN OF
RISING PRICES, DON'T GO ON TWITTER ANYMORE.
ONE CHANGE YOU CAN MAKE, HE HAS DECIDED TO LOWER THE PRICE
OF THE DRUG, AND SINCE THEN NOTHING.
I LOVE THAT YOU BROUGHT THAT UP.
HERE IS WHAT YOU DO, YOU LOWER THE PRICE, AND THEN
YOU RAISE IT WHEN PEOPLE ARE NOT PAYING ATTENTION ANYMORE.
HE DID NOT EVEN DO THAT.
THIS DRUG ñ THIS PARASITE IS COMMON IN PEOPLE WITH HIV.
HE NEEDS TO DO A CAMPAIGN THAT CAN HELP A MASSIVE AMOUNT
OF PEOPLE.
REDEEM YOURSELF, BUDDY.
YOU MAKE IT TOO EASY TO BE THE ENEMY.
WELL, HE ISN'T LIKING THE CRITICISM EITHER.
SHKRELI CALLED THE CAMPAIGN SHOT CHEAP AND THAT HE WANTED TO
HELP THE CAMPAIGN UNDERSTAND HOW DRUG COMPANIES SET PRICES.
"I THINK IT'S CHEAP TO USE ONE PERSON'S ACTION OF THE
PLATFORM WITHOUT KIND OF TALKING TO THAT PERSON.
HE'LL TAKE MY MONEY, BUT HE WON'T ENGAGE WITH ME FOR
FIVE MINUTES TO UNDERSTAND THIS ISSUE BETTER.
I WOULD ASK HIM, WHAT ROLE DOES INNOVATION PLAY
IN HEALTHCARE?
IS HE WILLING TO SORT OF ACCEPT THAT THERE IS A
TRADEOFF, THAT TO TAKE RISKS FOR INNOVATION COMPANIES HAVE TO
INVEST LOTS OF MONEY.
THE RULE RIGHT NOW
IN THE UNITED STATES IS THAT DRUG COMPANIES CAN PLACE
THEIR PRODUCTS WHEREVER THEY SEE FIT, NOT WHEREVER HE SEES FIT.
IF THE RULE CHANGES MY CONGRESSIONAL VOTE, THEN
YOU KNOW, I'LL ADAPT TO THE RULES."
HE IS NOT WRONG, IT DOES COST A LOT OF MONEY TO DEVELOP NEW
DRUGS.
THE WAY IT WORKS IS YOU SPEND YEARS, OR A DECADE, TO DO
RESEARCH AND GET IT THROUGH THE FDA, THEN THE DRUG COSTS A
LOT AS A RESULT.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT IN THIS CASE, HE DID NOT DEVELOP
THE DRUG, HIS COMPANY BOUGHT THE RIGHTS TO SELL THE DRUG.
IT WAS $13.50.
THEY DECIDED TO JACK IT UP TO $750.
I'M SURE IT COSTS A LOT TO GET THE RIGHTS FOR IT.
I UNDERSTAND THE DEVELOPING OF BETTER TREATMENTS.
THIS IS CURRENTLY THE ONLY TREATMENT THAT IS AVAILABLE.
THERE IS A LIMIT TO HOW MUCH YOU CAN EXPECT PEOPLE, WHO NOT
ONLY WILL COMPROMISE, BUT ALSO HAVE A SECONDARY INFECTION.
BY THE WAY WE'LL NEED A NEW DRUG FOR TOXOPLASMOSIS.
I WILL TAKE IT IF THERE IS ANOTHER ONE.
SURE.
BUT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF EXPERTS IN THE HEALTHCARE
INDUSTRY THAT HAVE SAID THE DRUG WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS HIGHLY
EFFECTIVE.
IT HAS BEEN AROUND AND WORKING, WE DON'T NEED A NEW ONE.
HE JUST USED THAT AS AN EXCUSE FOR WHY HE RAISED A PILL FROM
$13.50 PER TABLET, TO $750 PER TABLET.
I AM NOT BUYING HIS EXCUSE.
THIS IS FOR PROFIT.
HE IS NOT TRYING TO SAVE THE WORLD.
HE IS NOT CONCERNED ABOUT ANYONE'S HEALTH.
THIS IS ALL ABOUT MONEY.
THE DRUG BEFORE HE TOOK OVER DID HAVE ONE FLAW.
IT ONLY COSTED $13.50.
THAT'S A PROBLEM.
BY THE WAY, THE DRUG ACTUALLY COSTS A DOLLAR A PILL
ORIGINALLY.
IT WAS ALREADY MARKED UP.
IT IS DISGUSTING.
THE WHOLE STORY IS DISGUSTING.
IT MAKES ME SAD TO KNOW THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE
THAT ARE LOSING THEIR LIVES BECAUSE OF HIS GREED.