Last month’s leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft majority opinion from Justice Alito in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that would overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey could have long reaching effects for health law beyond the obvious liability for providers who are involved in women’s health and abortion. If the opinion … Continue Reading
On May 10, 2022, FDA published draft guidance entitled, “Benefit-Risk Considerations for Product Quality Assessments”, which describes the benefit-risk principles applied by FDA when conducting product quality-related assessments of chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) information submitted for FDA’s review as part of original new drug applications (NDAs), original biologics license applications (BLAs), or supplements to … Continue Reading
The House Energy and Commerce Committee seems poised to make substantial changes to the Food and Drug Administration’s (“FDA’s”) Accelerated Approval Program. The committee’s Democratic chairman, Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Republican ranking member, Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) have proposed competing bills that were featured prominently in the Health Subcommittee’s legislative hearing on March 17, … Continue Reading
On August 2, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) published a final rule amending existing regulations (21 C.F.R. § 201.128 and 21 CFR § 801.4) that describe the types of evidence relevant to determine a drug or device’s intended use under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”). See 86 Fed. Reg. 41,384–85. … Continue Reading
On June 30, 2020, United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced legislation proposing the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an interagency committee authorized to review certain transactions involving foreign investment in the United States for national security concerns, assist the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in “conduct[ing] a … Continue Reading
Late yesterday, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a proposed rule to amend the anti-kickback safe harbors[1] in response to perceived risks that rebates paid by pharmaceutical manufacturers to payors and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) may contribute to pharmaceutical list price inflation and not benefit … Continue Reading
As part of the Trump Administration’s fall regulatory agenda, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) emphasizes its commitment to “reducing and streamlining its regulations and improving the transparency, flexibility, and accountability of its regulatory processes.” One of the specific deregulatory initiatives noted is a future proposed rule to remove outdated Medicare and Medicaid … Continue Reading
The House of Representatives approved two “gag clause” bills on September 25, 2018 that would prevent insurers from restricting pharmacies from informing consumers about lower cost, out-of-pocket prices for their prescriptions. The bills were approved by the Senate earlier this month, and are now cleared for the President’s signature. Specifically, S 2553, the Know the … Continue Reading
Congressional committees have held numerous hearings and markups in recent weeks on health policy topics, including several hearings focused on health care costs. Highlights include the following: … Continue Reading
As previously reported, the Trump Administration has released its “Blueprint to Lower Drug Prices and Reduce Out-of-Pocket Costs.” Many of the recommendations in the Blueprint were previously made in President Trump’s fiscal year 2019 budget proposal, while numerous others are framed as open-ended questions rather than policies. While the near-term impacts on drug pricing based … Continue Reading
James Bailey is the new CMS Medicare Pharmaceutical and Technology Ombudsman, a role Congress established in the 21st Century Cures Act to help expedite resolution of industry Medicare reimbursement concerns. The Ombudsman’s office is charged with fielding questions from pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, diagnostic product manufacturers, and other stakeholders regarding Medicare coverage, coding, and payment … Continue Reading
This month, Congressional committees held a number of hearings that focused on health policy issues, including the following: House Energy & Commerce Committee hearings on the drug supply chain and patient brokering/addiction treatment fraud. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearings on the cost of prescription drugs and implementation of the 21st Century … Continue Reading
The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health has scheduled an October 11, 2017 hearing to discuss how covered entities use the 340B drug pricing program. A second Subcommittee hearing on October 11 will consider proposals from House members on ways to address the opioid crisis. On October 17, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions … Continue Reading
Several recent Congressional hearings have focused on health policy issues. For instance, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held hearings on Food and Drug Administration regulation of over-the-counter drugs and Public Health Service Act health workforce programs. The Senate Finance Committee held hearings on the Graham-Cassidy health insurance reform bill, CHIP funding reauthorization, and health … Continue Reading
Two Congressional committees are holding hearings this week on FDA user fees: a March 21 Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing and a March 22 Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing. In addition, on March 22, 2017, the House Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care is holding a hearing on “Examining the Impact … Continue Reading
As previously reported, President Obama has signed into law the 21st Century Cures Act (PL 114-255), which is intended to spur the discovery and availability of new medical treatments. Reed Smith has prepared a client alert summarizing the major drug, device, and biologic development and approval provisions contained in the Cures Act. The alert is … Continue Reading
On November 9 and 10, 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is hosting a public hearing on “Manufacturer Communications Regarding Unapproved Uses of Approved or Cleared Medical Products.” The hearing is intended to inform FDA’s “comprehensive review of its regulations and policies” pertaining to such communications. The FDA poses a number of specific questions … Continue Reading
Donald Trump has released his plan for “Healthcare Reform to Make America Great Again”, which includes a proposal for allowing importation of cheaper prescription drugs from other countries as one of the reforms he believes should be enacted in connection with repealing and replacing “ObamaCare.” Specifically, the plan states that Congress must: Remove barriers to … Continue Reading
On February 9, 2016, President Obama is scheduled to submit his proposed fiscal year 2017 budget to Congress. Two Congressional committees have planned hearings to examine provisions of the proposed budget involving the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), with HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell testifying. Specifically, the House Ways and Means Committee has … Continue Reading
CMS has posted its final Level II HCPCS application determinations for 2016, addressing applications for new and revised codes for DMEPOS, surgical supplies, drugs, biologicals, radiopharmaceuticals, and radiologic imaging agents.… Continue Reading
On November 4, 2015, the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee approved the following health policy bills: HR 2646, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act – includes a series of reforms intended to improve federal mental health research, screening, and treatment programs, some of which have met with strong opposition from House Democrats. … Continue Reading
On November 20, 2015, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is hosting a public forum in Washington DC to explore pharmaceutical innovation, access, affordability and better health. While attendance is by invitation only, an invitation can be requested by contacting hhspharmforum@mitre.org. There will also be a live webcast of the event.… Continue Reading
In light of continuing indicators of potential prescription-medication fraud and abuse in state Medicaid programs, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has reviewed federal and state pharmacy-related policies and processes to prevent and detect such abuses. The GAO identified two potential controls that are not included in CMS’s current reporting requirements: (1) lock-in programs for noncontrolled … Continue Reading
On July 29, 2015, the House Energy & Commerce Committee approved the following bipartisan bills that aim to improve health care for newborns, infants, and children:… Continue Reading
