Grassley, Wyden Investigate Rising Insulin Prices

On Feb. 22, Senate Finance committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) launched a probe on the rising cost of insulin, requesting information from drug manufacturers Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi on recent price increases of up to 500 percent. The letters were sent ahead of a Senate Finance committee hearing on Feb. 26, with seven drug company executives testifying on drug pricing. The senators asked the drug manufacturers how each determines the list and net prices of the medicines, where the medicines are placed on Part D formularies and how rebates to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) affect this placement.

The letter to Eli Lilly can be found here.
The letter to Novo Nordisk can be found here.
The letter to Sanofi can be found here.

Chamber of Commerce Launches Ad Campaign Against Administration’s Drug-Pricing Proposal

The Chamber of Commerce will run a seven-figure ad campaign against the administration’s proposal to tie Medicare prices for prescription drugs with prices in comparable nations. The Chamber is concerned the proposal would reduce seniors’ access to treatments and hurt innovation. Running through early to mid-March, the campaign is urging the administration through cable, digital and print ads to drop the proposal and for members of Congress to oppose it, arguing the proposal is imposing “foreign price controls.”

Upcoming Hearings

Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019
Senate Finance Committee: “Drug Pricing in America: A Prescription for Change, Part II”
The second hearing in a series on drug pricing in the Senate Finance Committee will include the testimonies of seven drug company executives. Leaders of pharmaceutical companies refused to testify at a previous hearing. The following seven companies will be represented at this hearing:

  • AbbVie Inc.
  • AstraZeneca
  • Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Merck & Co., Inc.
  • Pfizer
  • Sanofi

Find a link to witness testimonies, member statements and the hearing live feed here.

Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019
House Committee on Energy and Commerce: “Confronting a Growing Public Health Threat: Measles Outbreaks in the U.S.”
The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the current measles outbreak and response efforts. Since Jan. 1, 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 101 individual measles cases in 10 states. The majority of measles cases have occurred in Clark County, WA, a suburb of Portland, OR, with 53 confirmed measles cases. Of those cases, 47 involved people who were not vaccinated against the disease, and 38 people infected were children between the ages of one and 10. Find a link to witness testimonies, member statements and the hearing live feed here.

Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP): “Vaccines Save Lives: What is Driving Preventable Disease Outbreaks?”
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) will hold a hearing on the outbreak of preventable disease and the debate on vaccinations. Find a link to witness testimonies, member statements and the hearing live feed here.

Read more on healthcare policy on the McGuireWoods Consulting website.