Yesterday was a busy day on Capitol Hill, so let’s dive right in.
The Senate confirmed Chiquita Brooks-LaSure as the first Black woman to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). She was approved by 55-44, with five Republicans joining all Democrats in support.
One of the architects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) under President Obama, Brooks-LaSure is expected to work to roll back Trump-era efforts to weaken the ACA.
She could also play a role in the Biden administration’s efforts to control drug prices. The Washington Post and ABC News note she may be asked to use the agency’s rule-making power to try to negotiate lower prices for drugs purchased with Medicare or Medicaid.
Also: House members yesterday questioned the wisdom of a TRIPS waiver, during a hearing on the FY22 budget for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) asked how a patent waiver “might impact [drug companies]" willingness and their ability to partner with the federal government in the future when addressing pandemics, because we’re taking away significant protections for their investment research"—watch.
Rep. Dr. Andy Harris (R-MD) responded that industry concern is clear from remarks by the CEOs of BIO and Pfizer, asking for comments by BIO President and CEO Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla to be entered into the record.
Dr. Harris also brought up H.R. 3,which would require drug manufacturers to negotiate prices with the government based on an international price index. He warned NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins about “the devastating effect it would have on biotechnology research going forward, since so much of our biotechnology is funded by private companies.”
More Health Care News:
The Washington Post: Moderna says its vaccine is effective in teens
“Moderna announced Tuesday that its two-shot coronavirus vaccine produced the same protective immune response in teens as it does in adults, and the firm said it plans to submit the data to U.S. regulators for review in early June.”
FDA: FDA updates EUA guidance for COVID-19 vaccines
“[On May 25], the FDA updated its guidance, Emergency Use Authorization for Vaccines to Prevent COVID-19, to include a new section that clarifies how the agency intends to prioritize review of EUA requests for the remainder of the COVID-19 public health emergency.”
