Healthcare Reform Bill Emerges From Senate Finance Committee With Changes But No Increase in Drug/Device Fees and Rebates

 By Alan M. Kirschenbaum –

Last Friday the Senate Finance Committee completed its mark-up of the “America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009.”  The Committee is awaiting scoring by the Congressional Budget Office before it votes on the bill this week.  Earlier we reported on the original Chairman’s Mark and prepared a summary of the provisions of direct interest to drug and device manufacturers.  Although the bill emerged from mark-up with no major amendments to the fees and rebates imposed on the drug and device industries, there were nevertheless a number of amendments of interest to drug and device companies.  We’ve now updated our summary to incorporate the more notable amendments added during the mark-up.  The revised summary can be found here. 

After the bill is voted out of the Finance Committee, it will be merged with the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee bill before moving to the full Senate for a vote later this month.  We will continue to track these drug and device provisions as healthcare reform progresses.