Drugmakers in Medicare negotiations spent more on shareholder payments and marketing than R&D last year: report

A new report from the center-left watchdog group Accountable US found that most major drugmakers spent more on marketing costs and shareholder payments than on research & development.

The report looked at eight companies that manufacture the 10 drugs whose prices are currently being negotiated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS). These companies include Johnson & Johnson, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Merck, Novartis and Novo Nordisk.

Among these eight companies...