Congressional Panels Consider Generic Drug Promotion, Other Health Policy Legislation
On July 21, 2011, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved S. 27, the Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act, which would prohibit certain so-called “pay-for-delay” agreements in patent litigation settlements in which a brand-name pharmaceutical company compensates a generic pharmaceutical company for delays in generic entry. On July 28, 2011, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved H.R. 2405, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act (which reauthorizes certain provisions of the Project Bioshield Act of 2004 and Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act of 2006); H.R. 1254, the Synthetic Drug Control Act (which would make illegal synthetic drugs that imitate the effect of drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamines); and H.R. 1852, the Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act (which provides support to children’s hospitals for pediatric medical residency programs). On August 3, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Committee is scheduled to vote on S. 958, the Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act, and S.1094, the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act.
