Reported Healthcare Deal Excludes Vital Drug Patent Abuse Reform

December 13, 2024

Reported Healthcare Deal Excludes Vital Drug Patent Abuse Reform

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A new report of a major bi-partisan congressional healthcare deal that includes restrictions on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) seems to exclude vital reforms on drug patent abuses by pharmaceutical companies.

Public Citizen Access to Medicines Advocate Steve Knievel issued the following statement:

"Going after pharmacy benefit managers is not enough to stop prescription drug price gouging. We welcome the PBM reforms and the limited measure to combat patent thicketing rumored to be included by Congress in the end of year health package, but it is disappointing that commonsense bipartisan reforms to take on drug corporation monopoly abuses are excluded."

"Instead of pursuing Project 2025 wish list policies to repeal or gut Medicare drug price negotiations, the next Congress must pass further legislation to stop drug corporations from using anti competitive pay-for-delay deals, product hopping, sham citizen petitions and patent thicketing to extend monopolies and keep prices high."

Check out Public Citizen's latest report on patent abuses that cost Medicare billions ahead of the second round of Medicare drug price negotiations.