Seth Meyers checks in on 'pharma bro' Martin Shkreli, finds he's just the tip of a price-gouging iceberg

(Image credit: Late Night)

last updated 10 February 2016

Martin Shkreli, the widely despised former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, infamous for raising the price of a life-saving drug by 5,000 percent, was called to testify before Congress last week. But instead of answering questions, Seth Meyers said on Tuesday's Late Night, "he spent the time doing what he does best: looking like a real slappable prick." Meyers illustrated his point with some footage of Shkreli invoking his Fifth Amendment right instead of answering even the most mundane questions.

As fun as it is to make fun of Shkreli, though, he's "not alone," Meyers said. "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." In fact, Shkreli is "just a convenient, deserving scapegoat" for the price-gouging of Americans by the drug industry, Meyers said, aided by Congress' decision to prevent the U.S. government from negotiating the price of drugs, like almost every other country does. Case in point, a company called Valeant bought two heart drugs just last year and immediately raised the price 525 percent and 212 percent, Meyers said, but "Valeant didn't cause nearly as much outrage as Shkreli did because they don't have a smug, irritating face; they have a soothing logo." Watch Meyers' "closer look" at Shkreli and the unsavory behavior he exposed below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.