Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Despite His Antics, 'Pharma Bro' Shkreli Is Actually Putting On A Good Defense, Experts Say
The Washington Post: The Fascinating Legal Argument At The Heart Of The Martin Shkreli ‘Pharma Bro’ Trial
Not much Martin Shkreli has done the past two weeks has helped him in a trial that could put him behind bars for 20 years for eight counts of securities and wire fraud. He was personally rebuked by the judge for speaking to reporters about his case inside the Brooklyn courthouse and on the streets outside where jurors could potentially hear him. He has mocked prosecutors on a live stream on his Facebook page and called them a “junior varsity” team to news outlets. One day, he strolled into a room filled with reporters and made light of a witness who had just testified against him. (Merle, 7/8)
In other pharmaceutical news —
Politico Pro: As Political Pressure Builds, Industry Says Drug Price Transparency For Patients Is Around The Corner
The lack of available price data has been blamed on a combination of business and technical reasons. Pharmacy benefit managers, drug companies and pharmacies don’t necessarily want patients to know how much a drug costs because the lowest-priced drug may not have the highest profit margin for businesses involved. (Pittmann, 7/10)
