Frazier Vs Trump: Frazier's call earns him praise, rare for a pharma CEO / Y Gorsky también renuncia.

“America’s leaders must honor 

our fundamental values 

by clearly rejecting expressions 

of hatred, bigotry, and group supremacy, 

which run counter to the American ideal 

that all people are created equal.”

Ken Frazier

Merck CEO Ken Frazier's decision to withdraw from President Trump's manufacturing council over his response to the Charlottesville protests has prompted a level of social-media cheerleading rarely received by drugmakers.

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Kenneth C. Frazier (Ceo Merck) renuncia a la Presidencia de American Manufacturing Council

It's not often that pharmaceutical companies — or any of their counterparts in the healthcare industry — are held up as examples of morality or leadership to the general public or greater business community. 

 “When people like Ken Frazier or [Allergan's] Brent Saunders or [Acorda Therapeutics'] Ron Cohen step outside of their companies and express a unique point of view that connects with society's interests, society responds,” said Gil Bashe, managing director of global health at Finn Partners. “They listen intently because it's been so unusual to have a pharma executive have a defined individual point of view.” 

The ongoing debate about the high prices of prescription drugs has put drugmakers in the crosshairs of lawmakers, Trump, and other players in the competitive healthcare market (like pharmacy benefit managers and health insurers). But this time the Twitter back-and-forth evolved into a defense of Frazier and his work at Merck from some unlikely supporters. 

“Ken Frazier put aside the bottom line to speed vaccine work,” Ronald Klain, former Ebola czar in the Obama Administration, wrote on Twitter. 

“Ken was someone who I could talk to about what was right for the country,” wrote Andy Slavitt, former head of CMS, also on Twitter. 

Frazier, the only black CEO of a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company, was the first executive to resign from the manufacturing council over Trump's belated critical response to the violent protests over the weekend and the first CEO in general to call out his lackluster response. 
Calling it a “matter of personal conscience,” Frazier said in a statement on Twitter that “America's leaders must honor our fundamental values by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry, and group supremacy.” The post received 48,000 likes and 19,000 retweets within 36 hours. 

Trump tweeted that Frazier will now “have more time to lower ripoff drug prices.” He later tweeted at Merck that “pharma is a leader in higher and higher drug prices” and that companies should bring back jobs to the U.S. and lower drug prices. 

Since Monday morning, at least three more executives on the council have quit, including the CEOs of Under Armour, Intel, and the Alliance for American Manufacturing. Their decisions to leave the council, however, may have been a long time coming. 

“In the case of Mr. Frazier at Merck, he was likely ambivalent about Trump all along,” said Gene Grabowski, a crisis communications expert and partner at Kglobal. “When a catalyst like this occurs, this gives them a reason.” 

The only other pharma chief on the council is Johnson & Johnson's Alex Gorsky, who announced on Tuesday his intention to remain on the council.  (...)

The decision to step down from the council “speaks very highly of Merck, of the board, and of Frazier himself, because the government is a major client,” said Laura Schoen, chair of Latin America and president of the global healthcare practice at Weber Shandwick. “He is famously credible and respectful.” (Más)

Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky leaves Trump council as president breaks it up.

One day after committing to remain on President Donald Trump's manufacturing council, Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky on Wednesday decided to bow out in the wake of new remarks from the president. The decision came about the same time Trump ended the panel, as the president announced via Twitter. 

Both decisions follow Merck CEO Ken Frazier’s move to pull out of the group in protest after the president's initial weak-worded response to deadly violence this weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia.(Más)

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Trump disbands CEO councils after more defections 
J&J’s Gorsky resigns following Trump's remark about Charlottesville