Bill Cassidy - Ranking Member of the Senate HELP Committee | Official U.S. Senate headshot
Bill Cassidy - Ranking Member of the Senate HELP Committee | Official U.S. Senate headshot
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. and 16 Republican colleagues have voiced their opposition to President Biden's proposal that could allow agencies to seize drug patents under the Bayh-Dole Act if the administration deems the prices charged by companies as too high. The authors of the Bayh-Dole Act, former U.S. Senators Birch Bayh and Bob Dole, emphasized that the law did not intend for the government to set prices on resulting products.
In a letter addressed to NIH Director Monica Bertagnolli, Cassidy and his colleagues raised concerns about the Biden proposal and requested the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to determine if it meets the definition of a rule under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). They highlighted the potential negative impacts of using march-in rights based on drug prices, with the Bayh-Dole Coalition warning that such actions could discourage critical public-private partnerships and hinder the development of new cures and treatments.
The senators expressed their fears that the illegal use of march-in rights could impede health care innovation and deprive millions of Americans of future lifesaving treatments and cures. They emphasized the importance of protecting intellectual property rights and public-private partnerships in biomedical research.
Cassidy and his colleagues stressed their bipartisan goal of lowering drug prices for American patients and families but cautioned against using march-in rights to address this issue. They urged agencies, including NIH, not to abuse their authorities by illegally seizing intellectual property, as it could jeopardize valuable public-private partnerships essential for biomedical research.
Joining Senator Cassidy in this opposition are U.S. Senators Joni Ernst, Roger Marshall, Kevin Cramer, Ted Budd, Mitt Romney, Marco Rubio, Tim Scott, Markwayne Mullin, John Cornyn, Rand Paul, James Lankford, Marsha Blackburn, Roger Wicker, Shelley Moore Capito, Susan Collins, and Tom Cotton.
For more information and updates from HELP Republicans, visit their official website or follow them on Twitter at @GOPHELP.
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