BioNJ continues to work with our federal policymakers to ensure federal drug pricing legislation improves both Patient access and innovation. Two U.S. Senate Committees completed consideration of health care legislation prior to leaving Washington for the July 4 District Work Period. The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved S. 1416, the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act, introduced by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). S. 1416 would codify “product hopping” and “patent thicketing” within the FTC and included a cap on the number of cases that can be litigated. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee considered draft legislation attempting to address health care costs. While the underlying legislation focused on transparency, surprise medical bills and a number of other issues, the Committee also voted in favor of incorporating language into the bill mandating reporting should the price of a treatment that costs at least $100 increase by 10 percent in a given year or 25 percent over three years. A final package of bills is expected soon from the Senate Finance Committee.