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Democrats blame a large pharmaceutical company for trying to influence the Trump administration 's plan to lower drug prices.
E-mails obtained by Democrats and published publicly on Friday show that Novartis sent Michael Cohen, a former lawyer to President Trump 
Donald John TrumpGiuliani: Trump interview with Mueller "further" ACLU asks officials Trump to hand over info on immigrant children Kushner will join Pompeo for meetings with Mexican leaders MORE a list of proposals to lower drug prices.
Several of these proposals appeared later in the administration's "blueprint" to lower drug prices.
In an email dated June 5, 2017, the former CEO of Novartis, Joe Jimenez, sent Cohen an email containing a document titled "Drug Pricing Initiatives."
"Following our conversation last week, I am sending you some ideas for reducing the cost of drugs in the United States," Jimenez writes.
Cohen responded a few hours later: "Received and I will send you his suggestions."
Many of these recommendations later found their way into the master plan of the administration, which was published in May. These included proposals to speed up the approval of generic drugs and to reform the discount system between drug benefit managers and drug manufacturers.
Novartis previously acknowledged a $ 1.2 million deal with Cohen last year. Cohen would have promised the company access to the Trump administration.
Novartis said that it ended the relationship with Cohen in March 2017, but Democrats say new documents show that communication continued until September
"These documents indicate that Mr. Cohen and Mr. Jimenez – who was still Novartis' CEO at between April and September 2017, exchanged several emails on substantive issues, including price proposals for drugs from the company. Trump administration, the potential investment of Novartis in a small pharmaceutical company supported by Columbus Nova, and with respect to opioids.According to the report, [traduction]
Democrats have termed Cohen's relationship by capitalizing on its ability to offer businesses access to Trump administration officials.
Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, collaborator of The Hill, said in a statement to ABC that Cohen had provided "c strategic tips "and had not" sold access ". Novartis spokesman Eric Althoff said Jimenez had provided Mr. Cohen with a list of "well-known ideas to reduce the cost of pharmaceuticals that had been publicly discussed in the industry" .
Althoff also stated that the company did not agree with the conclusion of the report that Novartis would have misled the public as to the extent of its engagement with Cohen.
"As evidenced by the documents we produced, Novartis had a single meeting with Mr. Cohen on March 1, 2017, and concluded that it was unable to provide the background counsel and insight for which he had been hired We never asked Mr. Cohen to provide services on our behalf after March 1 and he did not no longer executed, "he said
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