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Pharma plays defense

Illustration of pill bottles
Illustration: Aïda Amer / Axios 

If there’s any area where the Trump administration and a Democratic House majority could find common ground, drug pricing may be it.

Why it matters: Pharma is on its heels, in a way it hasn’t been for years. And it will stay on the defensive for the next two years.

Be smart: President Trump has scrambled all the usual alliances.

  • On policy, Trump is basically aligned with Democrats, and congressional Republicans are in sync with industry.
  • Politically, Democrats aren’t inclined to help Trump notch a win on a critically important issue. And congressional Republicans are torn between their donors and their party’s most powerful leader.

Go deeper: These are the pharma companies hiking drug prices in 2019

Drug prices