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H.R. 5039 · 116th Congress

Life-Sustaining Prescription Drug Price Relief Act of 2019

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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 116th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.

No cosponsors.

This bill establishes a series of oversight and disclosure requirements relating to the prices of life-sustaining prescription drugs. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to review at least annually all life-sustaining drugs for excessive pricing; HHS must also review prices upon petition.

What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Nov 12, 2019

Life-Sustaining Prescription Drug Price Relief Act of 2019

This bill establishes a series of oversight and disclosure requirements relating to the prices of life-sustaining prescription drugs. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to review at least annually all life-sustaining drugs for excessive pricing; HHS must also review prices upon petition. HHS must create a public database with its determinations for each drug and report its overall findings and related activities.

Under the bill, a price is considered excessive if the domestic average manufacturing price exceeds 110% of the average price for the drug in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Japan. If a price does not meet this criteria, or if pricing information is unavailable in at least three of the aforementioned countries, the price is still considered excessive if it is higher than reasonable in light of specified factors, including cost, revenue, and the size of the affected patient population.

The bill also requires drug manufacturers, subject to civil penalties, to (1) report specified financial information for life-sustaining drugs, including research and advertising expenditures; and (2) negotiate the prices of excessively priced life-sustaining drugs under the Medicare prescription drug benefit with HHS.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov

About this bill and sources

Official title: Life-Sustaining Prescription Drug Price Relief Act of 2019

Latest action (Nov 14, 2019): Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H8836)

Policy area: Health · Origin: House · Introduced: Nov 12, 2019

Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)

No recorded floor vote found.