Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Drugmakers That Raise Prices Too Fast Face Penalties Under Broader Senate Plan
Stat: Senate Broadens Its Plans To Penalize Pharma For Hiking Drug Prices
A key Senate panel is expanding its plans to punish drug makers that hike prices faster than inflation, according to an internal Senate document described to STAT. The policy, which is being considered as part of Democrats’ efforts to include drug pricing reforms in a sweeping government spending package, has the potential to change the way drug makers set launch prices for drugs, and how they choose to adjust prices over time. (Cohrs, 9/20)
Stat: U.S. Lawmakers Accuse Patent Office Of Weakening Challenges And Allowing Drug Prices To Rise
A bipartisan group of lawmakers has accused the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office of “weakening” the system for challenging patents and, as a result, encouraging abuses by drug makers that seek to thwart the availability of lower-cost generic medicines. At issue is the inter partes review, or IPR, which went into effect in 2012 as a result of the America Invents Act. This type of patent challenge, which is heard by the Patent and Trials Appeal Board, was intended to provide an easier and faster alternative to patent infringement lawsuits filed in federal courts. For this reason, the IPR process has irked brand-name pharmaceutical companies. (Silverman, 9/20)
KHN: Congress Cites KHN Investigation In Probe Of National Academies
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform is requesting a ream of documents from the prestigious National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, spurred by a recent KHN investigation that revealed deep ties between pharmaceutical companies and two members of a committee that took a pharma-friendly stance in a recent report on drug waste. The House probe, led by Democratic Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Katie Porter, focuses on conflicts of interest held by members of a committee currently reviewing a life-or-death matter: U.S. organ donation and distribution policy. A panel member recently resigned after accepting a consulting job that apparently created a conflict of interest. House members are asking NASEM to provide conflict-of-interest disclosure forms for all members of the committee. (Jewett and Aleccia, 9/21)
And lawmakers continue to scratch and claw at the infrastructure bill —
The Washington Post: Democrats Once Sweeping Agenda On Immigration, Voting Rights, Police Reform And Minimum Wage Continues To Shrink
President Biden’s governing agenda is at risk of unraveling on Capitol Hill after a mounting series of delays, clashes and setbacks that have sapped momentum from an ambitious and intricate push to deliver on long-standing Democratic policy priorities. An overhaul of the nation’s voting laws has been blocked by Republicans. An effort to strike a bipartisan deal on police reforms has lost all momentum. A sweeping immigration plan to provide a path to legal residency for millions of undocumented immigrants is now all but dead. (DeBonis, Sullivan and Sacchetti, 9/20)
Stateline: States Use Hurricane Ida Damage To Push Infrastructure Bill
Pointing to stark pictures of inundated buildings and washed-out cars from Hurricane Ida, state and city officials are pressing Congress to pass a $1 trillion infrastructure bill. At least 67 people died across eight states, communities were plunged into darkness for weeks while repairs to the electrical grid plodded along, and calls for help went unanswered because of lack of internet access. The storm prompted demands for more flood mitigation and enhanced building construction to help communities better withstand storms and prevent future Ida-level damage. It also illustrated the need for the expansion of broadband, rural advocates say. (Povich, 9/20)
