Prescription Medication

Today's News about Prescription Drugs

Spanberger Announces Support for Bipartisan Bill to Increase Competition in the Pharmaceutical Marketplace, Lower Prescription Drug Costs
Source: Abigail Spanberger (D-VA, 7th)
April 24, 2019
Spanberger is now a cosponsor of the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act of 2019, which would prohibit pharmaceutical companies from participating in certain anti-competitive practices that block cheaper generic drugs from entering that market. The bipartisan bill would increase competitive options for prescription drugs by cracking down on pharmaceutical companies’ ability to delay access to generic versions of expensive brand-name drugs.

Read more...

Drug Take-back Day
Source: Trey Hollingsworth (R-IN, 9th)
April 24, 2019
The Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is this Saturday, April 27. From 10AM - 2PM, you can properly dispose of expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs to support ongoing efforts to combat the opioid epidemic that is facing our communities.

Read more...

Cummings Releases Report on the Soaring Prices of Diabetes Drugs in his District
Source: Elijah Cummings (D-MD, 7th)
April 24, 2019
Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, released a Committee Staff Report on the prices of diabetes drugs for seniors and the uninsured in Maryland’s 7th Congressional District. More than 30 million people in the United States, including more than one in four seniors, have diabetes. Patients with diabetes rely on prescription drugs, including insulin, to help manage their conditions.

Read more...

Following Prescription Drug Roundtable, Rep. Davids Supports Bills to Lower Prescription Drug Costs
Source: Sharice Davids (D-KS, 3rd)
April 24, 2019
“During our roundtable discussion, I heard from so many families in the Third District who are struggling to pay for the prescription drugs that they or their loved ones depend on to survive. These bills would help drive down prescription drugs prices and increase transparency and oversight, giving our families some much-needed relief,” said Davids.

Read more...

Cummings Releases Report on the Soaring Prices of Diabetes Drugs in his District
Source: Elijah Cummings (D-MD, 7th)
April 24, 2019
Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, released a Committee Staff Report on the prices of diabetes drugs for seniors and the uninsured in Maryland’s 7th Congressional District. More than 30 million people in the United States, including more than one in four seniors, have diabetes. Patients with diabetes rely on prescription drugs, including insulin, to help manage their conditions.

Read more...

Brown Bill to Crack Down on Drug Company Greed, Protect Taxpayer Dollars Signed into Law

by: Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

Washington, D.C. - April 23, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- President Trump signed U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown’s (D-OH) bipartisan measure into law that would prevent drug companies from misclassifying their medications as generic drugs to charge Medicaid, and therefore taxpayers, more money. Brown’s measure follows Mylan’s $465 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for overcharging Medicaid by millions of dollars by misclassifying their EpiPen as a generic medication. Brown’s bill would give the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the ability to correctly reclassify a medication and recoup any rebates given to the drug companies when they misclassify a drug. Brown’s measure is part of a bipartisan bill that now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

“Taxpayers should not be on the hook for the drug companies’ corporate greed,” said Brown. “By going after bad actors who try to rig the game in their favor by misclassifying their products, we can cut down on costs and protect Ohio taxpayers who rely on these medications for their health and the health of their families.”

Brown has led the charge when it comes to lowering the cost of prescription drugs for Ohio patients.

Brown recently re-introduced his Stop Price Gouging Act, which would require drug companies to report and justify increases in drug prices, and penalize drug companies that engage in unjustified price increases with financial penalties proportionate to the price spike.

The Stop Price Gouging Act would:

Require drug companies to report increases in drug prices, and justify the increase.

Penalize drug companies that engage in unjustified price increases with financial penalties proportionate to the price spike.

In addition to the Stop Price Gouging Act, Brown also introduced legislation with Rep. Doggett (D-TX) to put people over big Pharma profits. Their Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act would authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate drug prices and, if drug companies refuse to negotiate in good faith, it would enable the Secretary to issue a competitive, compulsory license to another company that is willing and able to produce the medication as a generic.

Last year, Brown and a group of Senators introduced a package of proposals to help bring down the cost of prescription drugs. The package included provisions to stop price spikes by penalizing pharmaceutical companies that engage in price gouging, and would allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices – which the President promised to do throughout his campaign. Brown’s bill, which will be reintroduced later this year, has been described as “just about every policy idea drug lobbyists hate.”

CREATES Act

======Support The Ponder======
This Spring & Summer Save Up to 60% Plus Free Shipping For A Limited Time Only At DesignFurnishings.com
======Support The Ponder======

by: Senator Chuck Grassley - (R - IA)

Washington, D.C. - April 5, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved by a vote of 51-0 its version of the CREATES Act, which is cosponsored in the Senate by Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley. The CREATES Act addresses abuses by brand-name drug companies that keep lower-cost generic alternatives from being developed or reaching the market. The legislation is estimated to saves taxpayers roughly $3.9 billion over 10 years. The House committee also advanced by voice vote a bill to end anti-competitive pay-for-delay agreements between brand-name drugmakers and generic manufacturers that keep lower-cost alternative drugs off the market. Grassley is the lead Republican cosponsor of separate bipartisan legislation in the Senate to address pay-for-delay.

“Few proposals get unanimous support these days. Yesterday’s broad, bipartisan action by the House Energy and Commerce Committee to advance the CREATES Act is a major win for consumers. I look forward to advancing this bill because it will cut down on abuses in the system that keep prices high for patients. I’m also pleased that the committee advanced a bill to address pay-for-delay schemes. Although that bill is not identical to the bill I’ve sponsored in the Senate, the bill’s movement shows that the committee is serious about addressing the pay-for-delay problem. I’ll continue to push for legislation to address abuse and improve competition in the prescription drug market. I’ll also continue working to bring transparency to the business model and supply chain that is causing unnecessarily high prices for American patients and taxpayers,” Grassley said.

Grassley held two hearings this year on drug pricing in America, including one with seven leading drug manufacturers, and has scheduled a hearing with five pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) for next week. He is also leading a bipartisan investigation with Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden into the recent spike in the price of insulin.

Women Veterans, FAA, National Park, NAFTA, LGBT, Prescriptions, Trees, WOTUS

Rush Cosponsors the Deborah Sampson Act to Support Women Veterans
Bobby L. Rush (D-IL, 1st)
June 28, 2017
The Deborah Sampson Act aims to fill critical gaps in VA care for women vets, including funding peer-to-peer assistance and improve legal and support services, data tracking and reporting and newborn medical care in addition to changing the VA’s non-inclusive motto.
Read more...

Congressman Russell Introduces Bill to Prevent Closure of FAA Aircraft Registry Office
Steve Russell (R-OK, 5th)
June 27, 2017
Congressman Steve Russell (OK-5) introduced H.R. 3062, a bill which would ensure that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aircraft Registry Office in Oklahoma City remains open in the event of a government shutdown. The government shutdown in 2013 resulted in an unprecedented closure of the FAA Aircraft Registry Office in Oklahoma City and a furlough of its employees. This closure had a severe impact on aviation industries and national security efforts. This must not happen again in the event of another government shutdown. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) introduced a companion bill, S. 1432, in the Senate.
Read more...

Representative Sanford, Senator Scott Introduce Fort Sumter & Fort Moultrie National Park Act
Mark Sanford (R-SC, 1st)
June 28, 2017
“These two sites are profoundly important to our nation and represent an essential part of South Carolina’s role in securing the personal freedoms we all enjoy today,” said Rep. Sanford. “Establishing the Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Park will honor those who lived, worked, and died there as well as help to preserve these sites that remain such an important part of our history.”
Read more...

Cornyn Urges USTR to Strengthen Agricultural Trade in NAFTA Negotiations
Senator John Cornyn- (R - TX)
June 28, 2017
“As Senators representing states with significant agricultural exports, we appreciate the careful approach the administration is taking to strengthen the NAFTA agreement, while ensuring that no changes are made that could result in harm to U.S. agriculture,” Sen. Cornyn and others wrote. “We look forward to working with you throughout the congressional consultation process to ensure that NAFTA continues its substantial economic contributions to U.S. farmers and ranchers and to the growth of our agricultural economy.”
Read more...

CORTEZ MASTO COSPONSORS SENATE’S FIRST EVER RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING JUNE AS (LGBT) PRIDE MONTH
Senator Cathrine Cortez Masto - (D - NV)
June 28, 2017
“Diversity is what makes us strong and what defines us as a nation,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “Historically, many communities have struggled in the U.S. to gain the equal rights and protections that are guaranteed to them in the Constitution—the LGBTQ community being one of them. I am proud to cosponsor this resolution on the 48th anniversary of the Stonewall riots and I am committed to fighting for equality for all marginalized communities in the U.S. Senate.”
Read more...

FDA Announces Action Plan to Lower Cost of Prescription Drugs that Mirrors Senators Cotton, Collins, McCaskill, and Franken Bipartisan Bill
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR)
June 28, 2017
"The steady rise in prescription drug costs over the last several years has left many Arkansans wondering just how much more they can take. And as health-care premiums rise under Obamacare, there's now even less room in family budgets to spend more on prescription drugs," said Senator Cotton. "Regrettably, the current FDA backlog of new generic-drug applications awaiting approval is only making this problem worse. Expediting the approval process for both the first and the second generic and requiring the FDA to make a decision in a timely fashion will increase competition in the prescription-drug market and help lower costs for Arkansas families."
Read more...

Sen. Cruz: WOTUS Withdrawal Is a Welcome Change For Texas Families, Farmers and Ranchers
Senator Ted Cruz- (R - TX)
June 28, 2017
"The announcement to withdraw the Waters of the United States rule is a welcome change for hardworking families, farmers, and ranchers in Texas,” Sen. Cruz said. “The Obama administration's WOTUS rule massively expanded the scope of federal authority over land and waterways in the United States, making it harder for Texans to provide for their families. This withdrawal proposal reflects what Americans overwhelmingly believe: that we can have both clean water and regulations that don’t stifle economic growth and job creation. I applaud Administrator Pruitt for his leadership on this issue, and look forward to working with my colleagues to further roll back harmful regulations.”
Read more...

Governor Abbott Applauds Sen. Hall, Rep. Workman’s Intention To Author Legislation Preventing Cities From Regulating Trees On Private Land
Texas Governor
June 28, 2017
In the upcoming special legislative session, Sen. Bob Hall and Rep. Paul Workman will author legislation to prevent cities from regulating what property owners do with trees on private land. This is one of 20 items that Governor Abbott previously announced will be added to the special session agenda. Governor Abbott thanked Sen. Hall and Rep. Workman for fighting on behalf of property owners in Texas.
Read more...

*The Health Coalition on Liability and Access today applauded the House of Representatives for prioritizing patient access to care by passing H.R. 1215, the Protecting Access to Care Act by a vote of 218-210.