Make Medications Affordable by Preventing Pandemic Price-gouging Act (MMAPPP) H.R. 7296
Status:
House of Representatives: Introduced on June 22, 2020. Referred to the following Committees: ‘Energy and Commerce’, ‘Judiciary, Science, Space, and Technology’, as well as ‘Armed Services’.
Analysis
Would protect against drug price gouging by
Prohibiting pharmaceutical monopolies on new, taxpayer-funded COVID-19 drugs in order to ensure universal access to these drugs;
Requiring the federal government to mandate reasonable, affordable pricing of any new, taxpayer-funded COVID-19 drug used to diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or treat COVID-19
Ensuring transparency and requiring manufacturers to publicly report a specific breakdown of total expenditures on any COVID-19 drug, including what percentage of those expenditures were derived from federal funds; and
Preventing excessive pricing of drug used to treat any disease that causes a public health emergency by waiving exclusive licenses and compensating with a reasonable royalty
Which human? Whose security?
Security of the whole country, through provision of needed medical care. H.R.7296 would require any COVID-19 drug developed in whole or in part with Federal support to be affordable and accessible by prohibiting monopolies and price gouging, and for other purposes.
Fact reports
From Patients for Affordable Drugs: the first COVID case in the US, “pharmaceutical companies have raised the list prices of more than 200 drugs by an average of nearly 25%. 75% of the increases were for drugs directly linked to COVID-19 treatment or for conditions that place people at higher risk of the virus.
“It’s outrageous, but not surprising, that against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, drug corporations have continued to raise the prices of drugs critical to keeping Americans healthy and alive. Patients are hurting from this pandemic with widespread unemployment, insurance loss, and heightened risk for COVID-19. More than ever we all need to be able to afford our medications.”
CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT
House of Representatives
INTRODUCED BY:
Rep. Janice D. Schakowsky [D-IL-9]
CO-SPONSORS:
Rep. Rooney, Francis [R-FL-19], Rep. Doggett, Lloyd [D-TX-35], Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [D-CT-3], Rep. DeFazio, Peter A. [D-OR-4], Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2], Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7], Rep. Velazquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7], Rep. Bishop, Sanford D., Jr. [D-GA-2], Rep. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large], Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5], Rep. Welch, Peter [D-VT-At Large], Rep. McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4], Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1], Rep. Carson, Andre [D-IN-7], Rep. Raskin, Jamie [D-MD-8], Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9], Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2], Rep. Porter, Katie [D-CA-45], Rep. Scanlon, Mary Gay [D-PA-5]
