Bill > HR465

Introduced Session

To significantly lower prescription drug prices for patients in the United States by ending government-granted monopolies for manufacturers who charge drug prices that are higher than the median prices at which the drugs are available in other countries. This bill establishes a series of oversight and disclosure requirements relating to the prices of brand-name drugs. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to review at least annually all brand-name drugs for excessive pricing; HHS must also review prices upon petition. If any such drugs are found to be excessively priced, HHS must (1) void any government-granted exclusivity; (2) issue open, nonexclusive licenses for the drugs; and (3) expedite the review of corresponding applications for generic drugs and biosimilar biological products. HHS must also create a public database with its determinations for each drug. Under the bill, a price is considered excessive if the domestic average manufacturing price exceeds the median 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 to report specified financial information for brand-name drugs, including research and advertising expenditures.

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Committee Categories

Ro Khanna (D)*,  Elijah Cummings (D),  Danny Davis (D),  Peter DeFazio (D),  Rosa DeLauro (D),  Mark DeSaulnier (D),  Tulsi Gabbard (D),  Debra Haaland (D),  Pramila Jayapal (D),  Barbara Lee (D),  Grace Meng (D),  Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D),  Joe Neguse (D),  Eleanor Holmes Norton (D),  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D),  Ilhan Omar (D),  Mark Pocan (D),  Ayanna Pressley (D),  Jamie Raskin (D),  Lucille Roybal-Allard (D),  Jan Schakowsky (D),  Rashida Tlaib (D),  Peter Welch (D), 

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. (on 01/25/2019)

Official Document