That the pharmaceutical industry is a big business is no secret to anyone. A Legazpi person with hepatitis C for 20 years reported to the Lakua government last week that he has been denied treatment with the drug Sovaldi with 95% effectiveness, but very expensive. The two-week treatment costs EUR 80,000. There are another 3,000 citizens in the Spanish State who urgently need this medicine. If they don't get it, they'll die.

It is true that the price of the medicine is very expensive. But it is also true that it frees the sick from death. Governments should take that responsibility and negotiate with the pharmaceutical industry to bring the price down dramatically. And in the meantime, they should give that medicine to whoever needs it. If they do not, they will be part of the cutbacks that have been made by the crisis of capitalism. Define public spending priorities. Saving life should be the first task of any policy. In addition, there is no lack of money, it is a matter of apportioning well. For example, Lakua can allocate the billions of euros spent on the TAV that is not heading or stopping for such cases. If we placed the tax burden in the Basque Country on the European Union average, we would have an additional EUR 6.5 billion in public coffers. If tax fraud is to be pursued, an additional EUR billions could be obtained.

The pharmaceutical industry must therefore lower prices, but governments must set the priority of public spending. And saving lives and improving the health of citizens. To do so, they will have to seek more input through tax pressure or against fraud and tax havens, and eradicate corruption. They would have money left for this person from Legazpi and all patients to have access to these expensive drugs. If there is money, there is a lack of political will.