Senate HELP Panel’s Confounded Markup Points To Challenges Ahead For Chairman Sanders

Session on PBM and generic legislation brought to a halt by Republican objections to amendments targeting FDA disclosure of inactive ingredient concentrations in brands, method-of-use patents, and using REMS to extend patent protection.

Bernie Sanders grinning at HELP markup on 2 May 2023
Sanders seemed happy for the committee session to end. • Source: Screenshot

The Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee suspended its markup on 2 May of four bipartisan bills designed to lower prescription drug prices amidst an unusually public disagreement between Chair Bernie Sanders, D-VT, and Republicans on the panel.

GOP members objected to what they described as primarily procedural issues stemming from Sanders diverging from an prior agreement with...

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