Biopharma champion Sen. Hatch retiring
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, announced Tuesday that he will not seek reelection in 2018. First elected in 1976, Hatch has done more to shape the legal and regulatory landscape for drug development than any other serving member of Congress. He has been the biopharma industry’s most reliable ally. The biopharma industry has supported Hatch, donating $999,000 over the last five years to his campaign committee and political action committees, according to Federal Election Commission data.
After initially opposing the Orphan Drug Act, Hatch co-sponsored the Senate version of the bill and urged President Ronald Reagan to sign it into law in 1983. Hatch has been a leading advocate in Congress for the creation of legislative incentives to stimulate R&D on rare diseases...