Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, chairman of the House Ways and Means subcommittee on Health, issued the following opening statement:
“This hearing continues our inquiry into pharmaceutical pricing, which our full Committee began last month. I was encouraged at that hearing that a number of our colleagues from both parties reflected on the medication problems about which their own constituents have been expressing concern. Today, we will have a special focus on the role that competition can play in bringing down soaring prices and on the multiple barriers, deliberately constructed by the industry, to prevent competition from working effectively.
“One such solution is ending so-called pay-for-delay settlements where brand-name and generic manufacturers agree to anticompetitive deals that keep competition off the market. I have introduced legislation, HR 1344 the Competitive DRUGS Act, to prohibit these deals and impose tax penalties on companies that engage in this behavior. I hope that we can find common ground today to support reasonable proposals like this…
