The Omnibus Legislation Passed Last Week Includes Provisions to Conduct a GAO Report on Nonprofit Pharma and include Nonprofit Pharma in an HHS Domestic Manufacturing Study
January 4, 2023
San Francisco, CA – Last week, Congress passed bipartisan legislation to fund the Federal Government for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2023 and to ensure other pivotal priorities were completed before the end of the 117th Congress. Included among those must-move priorities: the nonprofit pharmaceutical industry was introduced for the first time ever in Federal law.
Statement from Tina Raine-Bennett, MD, MPH, CEO at Medicines360
“At Medicines360, we have always known that the nonprofit pharmaceutical industry would be a critical driver toward providing equitable access to medicines and devices in the United States. Today, we applaud the bipartisan lawmakers in the United States Congress who moved to officially include that future in Federal law. The inclusion of critical provisions in the end-of-year omnibus legislation concerning nonprofit pharma is an incredible victory for health equity in this country. This victory would not have been possible without the visionary leadership of Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) who has been the leading voice calling for legislation supporting nonprofit pharma, and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) who reached across the aisle to introduce a provision ultimately passed today; we thank them for their incredible commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of all people across the country. In the days ahead, we look forward to working with health care champions in the 118th Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration to continue this incredible momentum toward building the health care system our country deserves.”
The omnibus legislation passed last week (H.R. 2617) directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a report on the impact that nonprofit drug companies would have on lowering drug costs, addressing drug shortages, and accelerating the development of new drugs. The report will also look at existing barriers to the success of nonprofit pharmaceutical organizations, and what Congress can do to support them. The omnibus legislation also includes a provision allowing the Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation to include nonprofit pharmaceutical companies in a study on domestic manufacturing.
An astounding four pieces of legislation considered in the 117th Congress included provisions supporting the nonprofit pharmaceutical industry. Sen. Rosen has been a leading champion for the nonprofit pharmaceutical model and the driver of this congressional momentum. In 2021, Sen. Rosen introduced the first piece of legislation naming nonprofit pharma: the Expanding Access to Affordable Prescription Drugs and Medical Devices Act (S.2257), which would improve the ability of nonprofit pharmaceutical organizations to sustainably provide affordable medicines to U.S. patients in a number of ways. In 2022, Sen. Rosen was joined by Sen. Romney to introduce S.4341, standalone legislation calling for the same GAO report ultimately included in this final omnibus. Thanks to the incredible leadership of Sen. Rosen, Sen. Romney, and the other health care champions of the 117th Congress, the nonprofit pharmaceutical industry is a critical step closer to fulfilling its promise to improve the cost of prescription drugs and devices.
About Medicines360
Medicines360, located in San Francisco, California, is a global nonprofit women’s health pharmaceutical organization with a mission to catalyze equitable access to medicines and devices through product development, policy advocacy, and collaboration with global and US partners. For more information, visit www.medicines360.org
