So -- to close out the series: Merck had to spend more than it has, in prior cycles, this year, in no small part due to the black eye it foolishly chose to give itself, by deciding to sue (collectively) its biggest customer base -- the United States federal government.
The company has capitulated, and come to the price talks table, voluntarily -- likely to let the suit die a quiet, settled death here in 2024. [In Q4 2023, Merck dropped spending to only $1.94 million, as the company had by then agreed to sit down with CMS and HHS and discuss pricing on Januvia, as the federal law now requires. . . so it spent less "trying to rearrange the deckchairs on Titanic", thereafter.] We shall see how that plays out -- but in the main, it is lobbying on many of the same issues the other majors are jaw-boning about. Here's the run-down (but the below doesn't include ALL the issues that Rahway uses outside firms to press advocacy about -- these are the ones its own internal staff lobbyists advance most directly):
. . .H.R. 3, (117th Cong.) Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act; H.R. 19, (117th Cong.) Lower Costs, More Cures Act of 2021; H.R. 830, Help Ensure Lower Patient (HELP) Copays Act; H.R. 1503/S. 2916, Prescription Information Modernization Act of 2023; H.R. 1550, (117th Cong.) PREVENT HPV Cancers Act of 2021; H.R. 2679, Pharmacy Benefits Manager Accountability Act; H.R. 2691, Transparent Prices Required to Inform Consumer and Employers (Transparent PRICE) Act; H.R. 2816, Pharmacy Benefit Manager Sunshine and Accountability Act; H.R. 2880, Protecting Patients Against PBM Abuses Act; H.R. 2940/S. 1355, Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions To End Upsurging Resistance Act (PASTEUR) Act of 2023; H.R. 3290, To amend title III of the Public Health Service Act to ensure transparency and oversight of the 340B drug discount program; H.R. 3285, Fairness for Patient Medications Act; H.R. 4368/S. 2131, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024; H.R. 4895, Lowering Drug Costs for American Families Act; H.R. 5376/S. 2474, Share the Savings with Seniors Act; H.R. 6283, Delinking Revenue from Unfair Gouging (DRUG) Act; S. 150, Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act of 2023; S. 1339, Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Act; S. 1895 (116th Congress) Lower Health Care Costs Act; S. 2333, Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Response Act; S. 2543 (116th Congress) Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019. . . .
Issues relating to: 340B program integrity; 340B of the Public Health Services Act; 340B issues; 340B drug pricing program; Drug pricing; Drug pricing and reimbursement issues; Anti-microbial Resistance; Cost and value of medicines; Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) immunization; Vaccines catch up; Vaccines issues; Package inserts, labeling issues, and E-Labeling authorization legislation; Pharmaceutical Supply Channel issues; Drug shortage issues; Inflation Reduction Act (P.L. 117-169), issues relating to drug pricing provisions; Issues related to the Patent and Trademark Law Amendments Act (PL 96-517); FY-2023 Budget and Appropriations Legislation; Intellectual property protection and trade issues; WTO Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement; WTO IP Waiver for COVID therapeutics; Animal Health; Animal Health Technology Issues; Animal Health Policy Issues: ADUFA & Funding for Electronic Animal Traceability; One Health Issues; General pharmaceutical issues; Farm Bill 2023; Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP); Diversity in clinical trials; Accelerated approval reform; Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) policy issues; Pharmacy Benefit Manager reforms. . . .
H.R. 1613, Drug Price Transparency in Medicaid Act of 2023; H.R. 2666, Medicaid VBPs for Patients (MVP) Act; H.R. 5376, (117th Cong.) Build Back Better Act; S. 476 (116th Congress) Creating Transparency to Have Drug Rebates Unlocked (C-THRU) Act of 2019. . . .
Issues relating to: Medicare; Medicare Part B and D drug pricing issues; 340B program integrity; 340B of the Public Health Services Act; 340B drug pricing program; Drug pricing; Drug pricing and reimbursement issues; FY-2023 Budget and Appropriations Legislation; Medicaid drug rebate program; Medicaid - Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services notice of proposed rulemaking: "Misclassification of Drugs, Program Administration and Program Integrity Updates Under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program". . . .
Issues relating to: Tax reform and tax policy, generally; Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (P.L. 115-97); Inflation Reduction Act (P.L. 117-169), provisions relating to budget reconciliation and taxes. . . .
Now you know.
And, onward. . . excited for even a short visit with my eldest, before she heads back across the pond. . . smile.
नमस्ते
No comments:
Post a Comment