Congressional action on rising drug prices remains a possibility

Abstract

More than a dozen distinct bills addressing prescription drug prices have been introduced in the 115th Congress, with legislators proposing such ideas as drug importation and price negotiations for Medicare Part D–covered drugs, according to a summary prepared by ASHP. None of the bills has progressed beyond assignment to a committee or subcommittee. And none is expected to leave its committee as a self-standing bill, said Joseph Hill, director of the ASHP Government Relations Division. The more likely scenario, Hill said, is that language in a drug pricing bill will become part of a larger bill, such as the next iteration of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, which funds FDA’s drug approval activities. That bill could be a vehicle for a drug pricing bill that focuses on FDA, he said. Support. The nonpartisan Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing, with ASHP on the steering committee, supports 3 of the drug pricing bills, said spokesman Will Holley.