BIO Applauds the Inclusion of Important Health Care and Agriculture Priorities and Programs in Year-end Government Funding Bill
BIO Applauds the Inclusion of Important Health Care and Agriculture Priorities and Programs in Year-end Government Funding Bill
John F. Crowley, President and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), today released the following statement ahead of an expected vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on a year-end government funding bill that includes many urgent and bipartisan health care and agricultural priorities and programs:
“Congress now has a pivotal opportunity to pass reforms and to authorize funding for programs that will make a meaningful difference to advance the health and well-being of the American people. This bipartisan health care agreement advances policies that will also strengthen American competitiveness in biotechnology, improve our response to future pandemics and help to make life-saving medicines more affordable.
“The agreement includes bipartisan reforms that will bring more transparency to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), middlemen who add wasteful costs to the healthcare system. Advancing these PBM reforms will begin to break the pernicious link between the fees that PBMs charge and the cost of medicines. Now is the time to take these important steps toward improving access to prescription medicines for patients, employers and taxpayers.
“The legislation further renews a vitally important law that has helped our nation prepare and respond to public health emergencies. It also extends the Pediatric Priority Review Voucher (PPRV) program until September 2029. This program is a market-based mechanism that has incentivized the development of dozens of new treatments for patients with the most rare and devastating pediatric diseases. I’d like to offer a special thank you to the countless patient advocates who worked with us and others to ensure that the PPRV program was reauthorized.
“Additionally, the extension of the farm bill provides critical support to American farmers, ranchers and innovators, and enables continued research, development and sustainability of our nation’s food and renewable fuel supply.
“We urge lawmakers to support these important policies and programs. We look forward to working with the new Congress and new Trump administration to build upon these reforms in the coming year.”
