Prescription for Poverty

Drug companies as tax dodgers, price gougers, and influence peddlers

New Oxfam research shows that four pharmaceutical corporations—Abbott, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & CO (MSD), and Pfizer—systematically stash their profits in overseas tax havens. They appear to deprive developing countries of more than $100 million every year—money that is urgently needed to meet the health needs of people in these countries—while vastly overcharging for their products. And these corporations deploy massive influencing operations to rig the rules in their favor and give their damaging behavior a veneer of legitimacy. Tax dodging, high prices, and influence peddling by drug companies exacerbate the yawning gap between rich and poor, between men and women, and between advanced economies and developing ones.

Download the full Excel data sheet to see the breakdown of revenues and profit margins by company and country.

Author

Oxfam

Publication date

September 17, 2018

Publication type

Research