Seth Meyers didn't pull any punches when he went after Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli on Tuesday's "Late Night." Shkreli recently testified before Congress, or rather pleaded the 5th before Congress with his signature arrogant smirk that Meyers said was reminiscent of a "slappable prick."
Meyers said that Shkreli was "so cagey" he wouldn't even answer questions about the Wu-Tang Clan who he bought a $2 million album from with his dirty drug money. Amusingly enough, the battle between Shkreli and his favorite band has intensified over the last several months. Wu-Tang member Ghostface Killah called the pharma bro a "sh*t head" when he raised the prices of his HIV/AIDS drug. Shkreli responded with a video of him and some people in hoodies demanding an apology from Ghostface. However, Ghostface took it to a whole new level by "introducing his own far superior goons: His mother and sister," Meyers said before rolling a clip of the women chastising Shkreli for being "wicked" and questioning his morals.
"Let's not get distracted from the real issue," Meyers said before launching into an all-out attack on the pharmaceutical industry for their price-gouging ways. "Shkreli's not alone. He's just doing what a lot of pharmaceutical companies already do. Except he's being loud and conniving about it while they're being secretive and conniving about it."
The House Oversight Committee obtained an email from an unnamed pharmaceutical company executive to Shkreli that asked him not to raise the price of the drug. "Not because it was wrong, but because 'the benefit is not worth the risk of getting yourself back in the news again'" Meyers read from the email. "He's basically telling Shkreli, 'don't draw attention to what we do.' It's like when you pull a heist and tell everyone, 'don't spend the money right away' and then Shkreli goes out the next morning and spends $2 million on a Wu-Tang album."
Meyers called Shkreli the "convenient public scapegoat" to the evils of the pharmaceutical industry and explained that Americans spend far more than other people around the world for drugs. "Take an acid reflux drug, Nexium," Meyers began. "According to CNN, an 'insurer in the United States pays, on average, $215 per customer. Yet the same prescription in the Netherlands costs about one-tenth ... just $23.'" Meyers explained that unlike other countries the U.S. government doesn't negotiate with drug companies, prices are set by "the market" so the result is widespread gouging.
Valeant, is another example of a pharmaceutical company that bought the rights to a set of life-saving drugs. The Wall Street Journal reported that the same day their price rose by 525 percent and 212 percent. "Valeant didn't cause nearly the outrage that Shkreli did because they don't have a smug irritating face. They have a soothing logo." Meyers concluded.
"If Congress really wanted to help, politicians on either side of the aisle would work together to pass laws to limit the abilities to price gouge," Meyers concluded. "But they can't do that because they are trying to get more important information," he then ran a clip of Rep. Gowdy asking how to pronounce the Wu-Tang Clan again. Senator Bernie Sanders, who rejected a campaign donation from Shkreli, has attributed the Congressional inaction to campaign donations from super PAC funding from the industry itself.
Watch the full video below:
