05/04/2021

National Legislative Updates

• President Biden signed into law S 164, the Advancing Education on Biosimilars Act of 2021, which authorizes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to educate consumers and healthcare providers on biologic products, including biosimilars.

• The House Education and Labor Subcommittee has scheduled a HEARING on May 5 to address drug pricing.

• The House Judiciary Committee held a HEARING, “Addressing Anticompetitive Conduct and Consolidation in Health Care Markets.”

• The House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee held a HEARING on the future of telehealth.

• Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced HR 2829 to require the HHS Secretary to establish reference prices for prescription drugs.

• Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) introduced HR 2815, the Bolstering Innovative Option to Save Immediately on Medicines Act (BIOSIM Act). The bill would provide temporary increased reimbursement to hospitals and doctors for biosimilar drugs from the average sales price (ASP) of the drug plus 6% of the reference product’s ASP to the ASP of the drug plus 8% of the reference product’s ASP. The increase would last for 5 years.

• Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced S 1362, and Rep. GK Butterfield (D-NC) introduced HR 2759—both bills would cover pharmacist services under the Medicare program.