Lawmakers Slam Organ-Collection Agencies Over Alleged Lax Regulations
One organ procurement organization executive who testified before members of the House Oversight and Reform Committee described said groups like his face no consequences “for letting patients die” even as they reap huge financial gains. And one lawmaker told a story of an organ that wasn't collected because a CEO was using the organization’s jet while on vacation.
The Washington Post:
Organ Collection Agencies Told To Improve Performance Or Face Tighter Rules
Lawmakers on Tuesday grilled leaders of the groups that collect organs for transplant, warning that they might seek tighter regulations if the organizations do not increase the number of kidneys, hearts, lungs and other organs they procure and reduce racial disparities among donors and recipients. Before a congressional hearing on the industry even began, six of the 57 groups — known as organ procurement organizations, or OPOs — announced that they were withdrawing from their own trade group, the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations. In a news release, they cited AOPO’s “lobbying against lifesaving reforms” being implemented by the federal government, and said they wanted to provide clearer information on waste and mismanagement in their ranks. (Bernstein, 5/4)
In other news from Capitol Hill —
Roll Call:
Congress, White House Plan Action On Maternal Health Policies
The White House and lawmakers are seeking to build momentum on what they view as a more comprehensive policy solution to address the nation’s rising rates of maternal mortality and morbidity. Advocates and lawmakers are working on comprehensive legislation to curb maternal deaths, which has emerged as a bipartisan priority in recent years. Maternal mortality, or death during or up to a year after childbirth, is a growing problem in the United States. The U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate of any developed nation. (Raman, 5/4)
CIDRAP:
Bipartisan Group Of Lawmakers Urges More Funding For AMR Response
A bipartisan group of congressional representatives called on House appropriators last week to increase funding for the federal response to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In a letter signed by more than 60 lawmakers from both parties, Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, and Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., said Congress must fully support the funding necessary to significantly reduce the burden of AMR. ... "Drug-resistant infections sicken at least 2.8 million and kill at least 35,000 people annually in the U.S.," the lawmakers wrote to the House Appropriations Committee. (5/4)
Stat:
Pharma Showers Menendez With Rare, Off-Cycle Burst Of Campaign Cash
Sen. Bob Menendez doesn’t face reelection until 2024, but pharmaceutical executives are already flooding his campaign with cash — a sign of the central role he will play in deciding whether Democrats are able to pass substantial drug pricing reforms this year. Since March, the New Jersey Democrat has received at least $1,000 from each of the CEOs of eight different drug companies: Pfizer, Merck, Eli Lilly, Bristol Myers Squibb, Genentech, UCB, Otsuka, and Sage Therapeutics, according to federal election disclosures. The Pfizer and Merck executives both personally gave Menendez $5,000 and $5,800, respectfully. Top executives from Amgen and Lundbeck also wrote Menendez personal checks totaling $1,000 and $1,500. (Florko, 5/5)
Courier-Journal:
Ohio Senator Calls Out Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul For Not Wearing A Mask
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown on Tuesday singled out his colleague from Kentucky, Sen. Rand Paul, for not wearing a mask while conducting Senate business. Brown, asked about senators who don't wear face coverings, acknowledged that most of them are before mentioning Paul, a Republican from Bowling Green. "One of them that's an M.D., isn't, but he's kind of a lunatic," Brown, a Cleveland Democrat, said during a Tuesday visit to a Columbus mass vaccination site. (Borchardt, 5/4)
Also, President Biden officially extends a ban on fentanyl-like substances —
NBC News:
Biden Extends Ban On Fentanyl-Like Substances
President Joe Biden signed legislation Tuesday extending a ban on addictive fentanyl-like substances into October, which comes two days before the previous ban was set to expire. Under the extension of the order, these fentanyl analogues are classified by the federal government as a schedule I drug and are subject to the strictest controls like heroin. (Shabad, 5/4)
