3 Things You Need to Know About the Hillary Clinton Drug Plan

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton unveiled a plan to keep prescription drug costs in check - vowing to take on price gouging in the industry. One part of the plan would shorten the period of sales exclusivity for biotech drugs to seven years from 12 years. This means biotech firms would have a shorter window to bring in profits, before other companies enter the space with similar drugs. Clinton also called for an end to tax breaks that drug companies receive for advertising to consumers. Instead, companies would be mandated to direct some of this money towards research and development. Next, the plan would give Medicare the ability to negotiate drug discount, just like private insurance companies. The high cost of drugs have made headlines in recent days after a former hedge fund manager raised the price of an infectious disease drug to $750 a tablet, from $13.50 in a matter of hours.