Senate Advances ASHP-Supported PBM and Prescription Drug Legislation

The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced five bills on Feb. 9 that would curb questionable pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) practices and address abuses of the drug patent and approval process, including:   

• Prescription Pricing for the People Act of 2023 (S. 113), sponsored by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate and report on questionable practices by PBMs. 

• Interagency Patent Coordination and Improvement Act of 2023 (S. 79), sponsored by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), seeks to increase coordination between the Patent and Trademark Office and the Food and Drug Administration.  

• Preserve Access to Affordable Generics and Biosimilars Act (S. 142), sponsored by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), seeks to prohibit paying to delay the introduction of lower-cost alternatives. 

• Stop STALLING Act (S. 148), also sponsored by Senator Klobuchar, empowers the FTC to police questionable citizen petitions.  

• Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act of 2023 (S. 150), sponsored by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), seeks to prohibit product hopping.  

ASHP supports these bills and provided a  letter of support to the committee. ASHP will closely monitor the progress of these bills and update our members as we seek to ensure patient access to safe and affordable medications.