Congresswoman Elaine Luria, D-Va., has announced her support of Make Medications Affordable by Preventing Pandemic Price Gouging Act (H.R. 7296), a bipartisan bill that would protect against price gouging for drugs intended to treat COVID-19.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has already highlighted unacceptable inequality in our health care system. The MMAPPP Act is a necessary step to ensure that all Americans can benefit from the breakthrough treatments that countless doctors and scientists are working to produce,” said Luria. “During this public health emergency, no one should be unable to receive lifesaving medication and treatment due to financial restraints. I am proud that my colleagues have come together across the aisle to take action on this issue.”
Specifically, the bill would:
- Prohibit pharmaceutical monopolies on new, taxpayer-funded COVID-19 drugs to ensure universal access for these medications;
- Require the federal government to mandate reasonable and affordable pricing of any taxpayer-funded drug to diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or treat COVID-19;
- Promote transparency by requiring manufacturers to publicly disclose a breakdown of expenditures on COVID-19 drugs, including what percentage of those expenditures were from federal funds; and
- Waive exclusive licenses to prevent excessive pricing of drugs used to treat diseases that cause public health emergencies.
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Chris Graham
