Lawmakers urge Trump, Mulvaney to address drug prices

House Democrats urged President Trump to take measures to reduce prescription drug prices through reform of FDA user fee agreements. In a letter signed by 36 representatives, the group suggested authorizing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, requiring drug makers to provide rebates to Medicare for expensive drugs, improving pricing transparency, ending pay-for-delay deals and promoting competition from generic drug manufacturers.

In a separate letter, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John McCain (R-Ariz.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) asked Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney to work with HHS Secretary Tom Price to allow the targeted importation of off-patent drugs in order to address rising drug prices. The letter said that under existing authority, the HHS secretary could allow importation if he certifies that it “would pose no additional risk to the public's health and safety and would result in a significant reduction in the cost of covered products to the American consumer.” The same three senators asked Price to exercise such authority in a February letter (see BioCentury Extra, Feb. 14)...