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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is plowing ahead with her bill to allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices despite a breakdown in relations with her chief bargaining partner on the issue — President Donald Trump. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated the legislation would save Medicare $345 billion over seven years, partly because some seniors would no longer have to skimp on costly medicines, and they'd stay healthier. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 10/17)

The main thrust of Pelosi’s bill will allow Medicare to negotiate lower prices on as many as 250 of the most expensive drugs per year and apply those discounts to private health plans across the U.S. The bill also includes a penalty on drugmakers that refuse to negotiate or fail to reach an agreement with the U.S. government, starting at 65% of the gross sales of the drug in question. Republican members on the committee expressed concerns with the legislation, particularly that it would discourage innovation for new medicines in the pharmaceutical industry. Some GOP members said the legislation was rushed and dead on arrival in the Senate. (Lovelace, 10/17)

The bill was approved by the House Education and Labor Committee by a 27-21 vote along party lines, as the Energy and Commerce Committee was still discussing it. A final vote is expected later Thursday. “I don’t believe I was elected to write bills that will never go anywhere,” said Representative Michael Burgess, a Texas Republican. “That’s exactly where this bill is headed.” (Ruoff, Stein and Porter, 10/17)

Energy and Commerce adopted a bipartisan amendment from Reps. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., and Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., that would increase reimbursements for generic versions of complicated, expensive biotech drugs for five years. Under the part of Medicare that covers doctor visits, Part B, health providers buy the drugs and are reimbursed at a 6 percent markup of the drug’s average sales price. To encourage more widespread adoption of the generic versions of biologic drugs, known as biosimilars, the amendment would provide an 8 percent markup over a biosimilar’s average sales price.  (Siddons, Clason and McIntire, 10/17)

House Democrats’ signature legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs will be named for the late Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday. Cummings, a longtime Baltimore politician, who passed away early Thursday at age 68, chaired the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and was a longtime champion for lowering drug prices. (Facher, 10/17)

Kaiser Health News: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Democrats Do Drugs (Prices)

Despite the turmoil from the ongoing impeachment inquiry, Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives are proceeding with work on a major prescription drug price bill crafted by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Meanwhile, broader health issues continue to be a point of contention among the Democratic presidential candidates.And courts around the country are dealing setbacks to many of the Trump administration’s health agenda items, including one that would make it harder for immigrants to get green cards if they use public programs. (10/17)

Brand-name drug manufacturers were one of the earliest supporters of the new North American trade deal, but now the industry’s prized provision is in danger of being weakened as President Donald Trump tries to get the agreement through Congress. The NAFTA replacement deal would provide 10 years of market exclusivity for biologic drugs, a new class of medicines developed from living organic molecules, rather than chemicals, that are used to treat numerous serious and life-threatening diseases such as cancer. (Palmer, 10/17)