Public Citizen Drug Pricing Expert to Testify on Trump Administration’s Embrace of Big Pharma
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Peter Maybarduk, Public Citizen’s Access to Medicines director, will testify before the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) at a public hearing to inform the 2026 Special 301 Report.
Public health advocates have long criticized the Special 301 Report – a report that USTR releases every year naming and shaming countries for allegedly failing to provide adequate intellectual property protections. It lists specific policies and practices that the U.S., on behalf of Big Pharma, would like to see watered down or eliminated, including laws that regulate drug pricing and facilitate access to affordable generic medicines.
With the witness list dominated by the pharmaceutical industry and their lobbyists, Maybarduk will be one of the very few public health advocates with deep expertise in assisting health agencies around the world provide affordable access to lifesaving medicines.
Maybarduk will also highlight new Public Citizen analysis explaining that the Trump administration has explicitly used Big Pharma’s Special 301 hit list to demand changes to Argentina’s laws in its recent Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) with the country.
As Public Citizen predicted, Trump is using his sweeping tariffs as leverage to force countries into closed-door negotiations and push the agenda of Big Pharma companies to enhance their profits at the expense of public health.
WHAT: USTR Hearing on Special 301 Report
WHEN: Wednesday, February 18 at 1:50pm
WHERE: Office of the United States Trade Representative, 1724 F Street NW, Rooms 1 and 2, Washington, DC