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Trump's Tweet Hits Pharma Stocks, Promises Decreased Drug Prices

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A President Donald Trump tweet promising to increase competition and decrease prices in the drug industry sent pharmaceutical stocks falling on Tuesday.

Immediately following the news, shares of Pfizer (PFE - Free Report) and Merck & Co (MRK - Free Report) fell 1.1% while Amgen Inc (AMGN) took a 1.4% hit. Also, the NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index slumped 1% at the start of trading.

This is not the first time President Trump has ridiculed the drug industry for high prices on prescription medication. A week before his inauguration, President Trump tweeted that pharmaceutical companies are “getting away with murder”; within 20 minutes of the tweet, nearly $25 billion vanished from the S&P 500’s top nine pharmaceutical companies.

Adding uncertainty is the lack of additional information available about the “new system”. Historically, drug makers have refused government regulation as the United States is one of the few countries in the world where drug pricing regulation is absent.  

Especially in the past two years, pharmaceutical companies have felt pressure regarding government regulation. With life saving drugs experiencing enormous price increases, such as the EpiPen made by Mylan , which now costs 500% more to carry, politicians on all ends of the spectrum are looking to find solutions; steep prices increase health insurance premiums and thin consumers’ wallets.

Geoffrey Yu, head of the U.K. Investment office of UBS Wealth Management, said to “continue to expect the unexpected”.

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