Monthly Archives: May 2017

Maryland Price-Gouging Legislation to Become Law Without Governor’s Signature

HB 631, Maryland’s first-in-the-nation “price gouging” bill, will become law without the signature of Governor Larry Hogan (R).  In a letter to Maryland Speaker of the House Michael Busch (D), Hogan stated that he would not sign the legislation due to concerns that it could violate the “dormant” application of the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.  However, Hogan declined to veto the legislation,… More

Massachusetts Senator Introduces Drug Transparency Bill Vesting CHIA and Attorney General with Oversight Authority

On January 19, 2017, Senator Mark C. Montigny introduced S.652 – “An Act to promote transparency and cost control of pharmaceutical drug prices.”  The bill currently sits in the Senate Committee on Health Care Financing, and covers the following categories of drugs: 1) the 10 costliest drugs to private payers in a given year; 2) the 10 drugs causing the highest annual increase in private payer spending;… More

Transparency Legislation Targeting Drug Manufacturers and Health Plans in California Senate Appropriations Committee

One of the more aggressive pieces of price transparency legislation introduced this year is currently before the Appropriations Committee in the California State Senate.  Under SB17, manufacturers of drugs that have experienced three-year increases in WAC greater than either 10% (for drugs with WAC over the Medicare Part D specialty drug threshold) or 25% (for drugs with WAC under the threshold) would be required to give 90 days’ advance notice of the increase to purchasers (including state purchasers,… More

Drug Manufacturers Commit to Price Increase Limits and Transparency

Recent months have seen a continuing trend of commitments by pharmaceutical industry leaders to limit annual price increases and to report on pricing practices.  On September 6, 2016, Allergan CEO Brent Saunders announced, in a blog post highlighting a “social contract” between drug manufacturers and patients, that Allergan would raise prices for its branded products no more than once per year, and by no more than 10%. … More