WASHINGTON — A crowd of roughly 200 progressive protestors planted themselves on the ground in the middle of a normally bumper-to-bumper four-lane corridor here Monday with a firm message for the drug industry: get out of our way.
The crowd wasn’t there — in front of the trade association PhRMA’s headquarters — to protest a specific drug’s price spike or an unsafe drug. Instead, they were seated in solidarity with the speaker at the front of the crowd: Ady Barkan, a 34-year old activist with ALS confined to a wheelchair
“I hate PhRMA,” Darius Gordon, a national field organizer with the Center For Popular Democracy, boomed on behalf of Barkan, who is unable to speak on his own due to his ALS. Drug makers “believe that they can stop us from passing ‘Medicare For All.’ They are wrong. We will beat them. We will whoop their butts.”
This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers
Unlock this article — plus in-depth analysis, newsletters, premium events, and networking platform access.
Already have an account? Log in
Already have an account? Log in
About the Author Reprints
To submit a correction request, please visit our Contact Us page.
STAT encourages you to share your voice. We welcome your commentary, criticism, and expertise on our subscriber-only platform, STAT+ Connect