The CEOs of two pharmaceutical companies will appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voluntarily to testify on prescription drug prices, avoiding a scheduled subpoena vote next week.
Merck & Co. Inc. CEO Robert Davis and Johnson & Johnson CEO Joaquin Duato will now testify Feb. 8 alongside Bristol Myers Squibb CEO Chris Boerner, who previously agreed to appear before the committee voluntarily.
The decision is an abrupt reversal from the companies’ position in recent days. Both Merck and Johnson & Johnson had refused to testify, accusing Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., of retaliating against them for suing over Medicare’s drug price negotiation program.
