PAHPA moves forward

Here’s everything that happened on PAHPA this week—in three minutes! (665 words, 3 minutes, 19 seconds)

PAHPA moves forward in House and Senate committees

The Pandemic All Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) reauthorization bills moved forward this week, with committees in the House and Senate approving their respective proposals—here’s what happened.

Why it matters: PAHPA establishes measures to prepare for the next pandemic, biothreats, and public health emergencies. Existing authorities expire on Sept. 30.

In the Senate: The Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (HELP) Committee yesterday gave bipartisan approval to legislation reauthorizing PAHPA.

What’s in it: Incentives (supported by BIO) to promote research into medical countermeasures (MCMs), including an extension of the MCM priority review voucher, technologies to support vaccine development and manufacturing, as well as amendments to reduce unnecessary reporting requirements for the Strategic National Stockpile (Sen. Ted Budd, R-NC) and to establish a program for reviewing MCMs for emerging pathogens at the Food and Drug Administration (Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-CO).

What’s not in it: Government price fixing for innovative therapies developed through BARDA and the CDC (and was opposed by BIO). 

In the House: The House Energy & Commerce Committee on Wednesday approved two bills reauthorizing PAHPA, voting along party lines in a session addressing more than a dozen health bills.

Amendments rejected in the House included some proposed by Democrats that would have required detailed reporting on potential drug shortages; Republicans said the proposals were cumbersome and inefficient.

It’s also missing the PASTEUR Act,said Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA), which would “repair the pipeline for novel antibiotics so we can better prepare for the next superbug. Unfortunately, the package before us does nothing to address our antibiotic research and development pipeline, which is a real security and healthcare issue.” (Watch and share his remarks.)

What BIO’s been doing: “Through our advocacy efforts—which included testifying before Congress and organizing biodefense company leaders’ meetings to educate lawmakers—we have made clear the importance of robust investment today in preparedness for future pandemics, diseases, and public health threats,” said Phyllis Arthur, SVP of Infectious Disease and Emerging Science Policy .

“We were especially pleased to see lawmakers drop the ‘reasonable pricing’ clause in the PAHPA reauthorization. As we repeatedly warned, including such a clause would impede critical private sector investment and public-private partnerships,” Arthur continued. “We were also pleased that burdensome policies to address drug shortages were excluded in the House Energy & Commerce Committee passed bill.”

What’s next:  BIO will continue our advocacy to ensure a timely reauthorization. 

Read in-depth coverage in Bio.News.

Watch BIO’s Policy Pulse:

More News: 

Axios: FTC rescinds policy statements backing PBMs
“The Federal Trade Commission sent another shot across the bow of the pharmacy benefit managers on Thursday, warning the companies against relying on ‘outdated’ agency statements and studies that opposed more regulatory oversight and transparency of PBMs.”

Cervical cancer used to be the leading cause of death for women in America—and the human papillomavirus (HPV) is the leading cause.  

Luckily, the groundbreaking HPV vaccine, Gardasil—coupled with increased education and screening—caused cervical cancer mortality rates in the U.S. to fall steadily since their height in the 1970s. In the UK, cervical cancer has been “almost eliminated” in women born after September 1, 1995, and Gardasil has reduced the likelihood of women ages 9-45 getting cervical cancer by as much as 87%.

But while cervical cancer is almost “completely preventable…more than 10 women die from the disease each day in the U.S., half of whom are in their 50s or younger,” says the American Cancer Society. 

Although we’ve seen encouraging gains in developed countries, cervical cancer remains the fourth most common cancer for women globally. Access to HPV vaccination (as well as regular screening) remains a critically important global health goal. 

President Biden’s Friday: Delivering remarks on artificial intelligence from the White House.

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: ICYMI, Sens. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Tom Carper (D-DE) and Reps. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH-02) and Raul Ruiz (D-CA-25) reintroduced the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) yesterday—read more.