Drug Price Transparency Bill Strongly Opposed By Pharma Heads To Governor
Gov. Jerry Brown has until Oct. 15 to decide which bills will become law, and the bill's author Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina) is confident that SB 17 is on that track.
Los Angeles Times:
Bill To Shed More Light On Prescription Drug Prices Heads To Gov. Jerry Brown's Desk
Powered by increasing scrutiny of costly prescription drugs, a measure that would require sweeping new disclosure on how medicines are priced cleared its final legislative hurdle Wednesday. The state Senate approved the bill with no debate, belying the fierce behind-the-scenes jockeying that pit pharmaceutical companies against health insurers, labor unions and liberal activists. (Mason, 9/13)
The Mercury News:
California Drug Price Transparency Bill Heads To Gov. Brown
SB 17 — approved by the Senate on a 31 to 8 vote on Wednesday — aims to make drug prices for both public and private health plans more transparent. It would do so by requiring pharmaceutical companies to notify health insurers and government health plans like Medi-Cal at least 60 days before scheduled prescription drug price hikes that would exceed 16 percent over a two-year period. It would also force drug companies to explain the reasons behind those increases. (Seipel, 9/13)