Republican U.S. Senate candidate Richard Tarrant says he’d support banning pharmaceutical companies from advertising on television.
He says the advertising creates pressure for physicians to prescribe higher-priced brand-name drugs when generics would be just as good.
Tarrant made the comments yesterday during an appearance on WSTJ in Saint Johnsbury.
He uses cholesterol-lowering drugs as an example.
Tarrant argues that if the use of generic drugs for cholesterol treatment rose from 19% to 85%, more than $10 billion could be saved.
Tarrant faces Greg Parke of Rutland in the September primary for the Republican nomination.
Congressman Bernie Sanders is running as an independent for the seat being vacated by the retiring Senator Jim Jeffords.