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After months of wrangling, House Democrats finally passed a massive bill aimed at lowering drug prices. And Senate Republicans are flummoxed at how to respond. The GOP is in a jam that makes action appear somewhere between unlikely and impossible. But if Republicans fail to act, it could easily become a major political liability for the party given the salience of high drug prices in public polling and President Donald Trump’s desire for sweeping reforms. (Everett and Owermohle, 12/16)

Democrats looking for a health care fight in 2020 have found a key marker with the House drug pricing bill. The House on Thursday passed the legislation on a largely party-line vote of 230-192. The measure, which would allow the government to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs, has already been declared “dead on arrival” in the Republican-controlled Senate. (Weixel, 12/14)

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has removed a senior legal adviser from a high-profile case after she tweeted contentious remarks about the right of AIDS activists to challenge a patent-term extension sought by Gilead Sciences (GILD) for an HIV medicine. A spokesman for the federal agency told us that Mary Till, a 14-year employee who reviews extension requests, is “no longer working on the matter.” (Silverman, 12/13)