Improving Access To Affordable Prescription Drugs Act

Bill: 115-s-771
Sponsor: Sen. Franken, Al [D-MN]
Introduced: 2017-03-29 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Administrative remedies
Business records
Canada
Cancer
Civil actions and liability
Competition and antitrust
Congressional oversight
Consumer affairs
Corporate finance and management
Department of Health and Human Services
Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulation
Drug therapy
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Government trust funds
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Health programs administration and funding
Income tax deductions
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Inflation and prices
Judicial review and appeals
Licensing and registrations
Marketing and advertising
Medicaid
Medical research
Medicare
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Prescription drugs
Public contracts and procurement
Research and development
Retail and wholesale trades
Trade restrictions
User charges and fees
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2017-03-29
text: 
This bill amends provisions of various laws relating to prescription-drug pricing and affordability. Specifically, the bill:
 
 
expands reporting requirements for drug manufacturers and establishes corresponding civil penalties for noncompliance; 
 
adds reporting requirements for certain nonprofit patient-assistance programs; 
 
requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress on the impact of patient-assistance programs on prescription-drug pricing and expenditures; 
 
requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to negotiate prices for certain prescription drugs under the Medicare program; 
 
requires the GAO to report to Congress on such negotiations conducted by the CMS; 
 
requires the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation within the CMS to test specified models for negotiating drug prices; 
 
establishes reporting requirements, and corresponding civil penalties for noncompliance, for pharmaceutical companies with respect to spikes in prescription-drug prices; 
 
establishes an excise tax on prescription drugs subject to price spikes; 
 
lessens prescription-drug cost-sharing requirements under qualified health plans, group health plans, and the Medicare program; 
 
modifies provisions related to the importation of prescription drugs; 
 
requires drug manufacturers to provide drug rebates for drugs dispensed to certain low-income individuals under the Medicare program; 
 
establishes a prize fund for new and more effective treatments of bacterial infections; 
 
establishes a Center for Clinical Research within the National Institutes of Health; 
 
modifies provisions related to drug exclusivity; 
 
allows the Federal Trade Commission to initiate enforcement proceedings against parties to an agreement resolving or settling a patent-infringement claim in connection with the sale of a drug product; 
 
requires the Food and Drug Administration to establish a database of generic drugs; and 
 
modifies other provisions related to generic drugs, prescription-drug advertising, and product hopping.



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-03-29
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2017-03-29
text: Introduced in Senate