U.S. Capitol Building Drugmakers AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Pfizer and Sanofi appeared before the Senate Finance Committee as lawmakers mull how to best control rising drug prices. (Photo: Mike Scarcella/ALM)

Senators got their first opportunity Tuesday to prod drugmakers about the wallet-emptying prices they charge for prescription drugs.

Almost in unison, the executives expressed support for eliminating rebates that flow to industry middlemen instead of patients; for increasing transparency about how they set prices; for shifting to a more value-based pricing system, in which outcomes are rewarded. Together they demurred when asked to commit to lowering list prices on drugs like insulin and the blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira.

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