WASHINGTON-Embattled drug entrepreneur Martin Shkreli – who vigorously defended his decision to hike the price of a life-saving drug from $13.50 to $750 – suddenly went silent Thursday at a Congressional committee, smirking and grinning instead of answering questions.
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Chaffetz: What do you say to that pregnant woman… who might have AIDS and no income, and she needs Darapim in order to survive?
“I would have told the people of Turing, ‘You want to do a price increase, do it gradually, ‘” Brafman said.
Now facing an unrelated federal criminal indictment, the typically loquacious Shkreli refused to testify, repeatedly citing his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself.
“It’s not amusing Mr. Shkreli”, Cummings snapped at a House Oversight Committee hearing on Thursday.
Shkreli appeared to smirk throughout his hour-long appearance, and moments afterward, insulting tweets began to appear under his official account calling the lawmakers “imbeciles”.
It was classic Shkreli as the world knows him – bold, unapologetic, brash, arrogant.
When asked if he would even be willing to discuss more innocuous matters, such as his highly publicized purchase of the single-copy Wu-Tang Clan album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin…, Shkreli declined, using the same rote response.
After a user on the app said he was disappointed with South Carolina Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy’s questions, Shkreli said he thought it was “very conniving” for him to attempt to get him to waive his constitutional rights, adding he talked to three different lawmakers hoping he could testify.
“I truly believe you could become a force of tremendous good”, Cummings said.
After leaving the hearing, an unrepentant Mr Shkreli took to Twitter to insult his interrogators. The other rationale is that insurers will cover these shameful drug prices, but they of course will pass on costs to the insured.
“I call this money blood money… coming out of the pockets of hardworking Americans”, he said, as Shkreli sat through the lecture.
Turing Chief Commercial Officer Nancy Retzlaff told the House hearing that Turing acquired Daraprim because it was “priced far below its market value” and that the company was committed to investing revenue into new treatments.
At one point, he chuckled, rolled his eyes and turned his head, prompting Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., to demand, “Are you even paying attention?” Interim CEO Howard Schiller acknowledged at the hearing that the company had made mistakes but said “we’re listening and we’re changing”. He tried to goad Shkreli into responding, noting Shkreli wasn’t shy about sharing information on Twitter.
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“We rely, we count on this medicine for our son”, said Frese.
