summary
Introduced
01/12/2026
01/12/2026
In Committee
03/09/2026
03/09/2026
Crossed Over
03/12/2026
03/12/2026
Passed
03/30/2026
03/30/2026
Dead
Introduced Session
Potential new amendment
2026 Regular Regular Session
Bill Summary
Prescription Drug Affordability Advisory Panel established; maximum fair price; annual reports; civil penalties. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to establish the Prescription Drug Affordability Advisory Panel to conduct data analyses, develop policy recommendations, and identify implementation barriers related to strategies to improve prescription drug affordability, enhance price transparency, and strengthen data collection practices for prescription drugs across public and private payers. The bill requires the Panel to (i) report annually on prescription drug pricing trends and any policy recommendations on legislation to improve prescription drug affordability and (ii) provide quarterly updates on prescription drug pricing trends. The bill requires each pharmacy benefits manager to provide to the Panel, upon request, certain information relating to the dispensation of a referenced drug, as defined in the bill.The bill prohibits prescription drug manufacturers or wholesale distributors permitted or licensed in the Commonwealth from accepting payment at an amount higher than the maximum fair price established by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services pursuant to federal law for the sale of a referenced drug intended for use by individuals in the Commonwealth. Under the bill, an entity that violates such prohibition is subject to a civil penalty of $10,000 per violation. The bill also prohibits a manufacturer subject to its provisions from removing a referenced drug from sale distribution in the Commonwealth for the purpose of avoiding the impact of the bill's rate limitations without providing certain prior notice. Under the bill, a manufacturer that violates such prohibition on removing a referenced drug without the required notice is subject to a civil penalty equal to the greater of $100,000 or the total amount of annual savings for the referenced drug, as determined by the Board of Pharmacy. This bill is identical to SB 271.
AI Summary
This bill establishes the Prescription Drug Affordability Advisory Panel, tasked with analyzing data, developing policy recommendations, and identifying barriers to improve prescription drug affordability, price transparency, and data collection across all payers. The Panel will issue annual reports on drug pricing trends and policy recommendations, along with quarterly updates, and can request specific dispensing information from pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs), which are entities that manage prescription drug benefits on behalf of health plans. Furthermore, the bill prohibits prescription drug manufacturers and wholesale distributors from selling a "referenced drug" (a prescription drug subject to a maximum fair price, excluding certain rare disease drugs and biological products derived from blood or plasma) for more than the maximum fair price set by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, with violations incurring a $10,000 civil penalty per violation. Manufacturers are also prohibited from removing a referenced drug from sale in the Commonwealth to avoid these rate limitations without providing 180 days' prior notice to the Panel and the Department of Health; failure to do so will result in a civil penalty equal to the greater of $100,000 or the total annual savings for that drug. The bill also amends existing laws to include "non-claims payment data" in the All-Payer Claims Database, which collects health care claims data for analysis and improvement of healthcare access, quality, and cost.
Committee Categories
Budget and Finance, Business and Industry
Sponsors (9)
Karrie Delaney (D)*,
Nadarius Clark (D),
Elizabeth Guzmán (D),
Michelle Lopes-Maldonado (D),
Ellen McLaughlin (R),
Holly Seibold (D),
Kannan Srinivasan (D),
Josh Thomas (D),
Virgil Thornton (D),
Last Action
Passed by for the day (on 04/23/2026)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
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