Though much of the nation has been in a deep freeze, it has been quite balmy here. Though it is finally cold here in the nation’s first city as we are assessing the whirlwind of activity contained in the famous 100 hours…. here is how it affects our lives.
And don ‘t forget, if you are so inclined, you can follow the progress of these proposals using GovTrack and there is a link in the column to your right. As more legislation is introduced, I will also insert links to each proposal in the right-hand column.
- H.R. 4 – Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act – passed the House and is headed to the Senate. Many Republicans joined with Democrats to pass the measure.
- H.R. 380 Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act – Here is this year’s importation bill introduced by Rahm Emanuel, with 52 co-sponsors of both parties.
- H.R. 331 Expiration Date Study – This bill would direct the Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs to conduct a study on the expiration dates of drugs.
- S. 137 Preserving Medicare for All – Introduced by Senator Cardin, this bill would add provisions for Medicare beneficiaries and would also allow the government to negotiate drug prices.
Beyond legislation:
- Approvable Letter Response – The companyLabopharm submitted a response to an FDA approvable letter received in September by the company regarding tramadol. The contents were not disclosed, however, reports are that the PDUFA action date is now set for June 19, 2007.
That’s it for a week that I, for one, am happy to see come to an end. Have a good weekend everyone.