U.S. District Judge David Ezra dismisses a lawsuit from PhRMA, the Global Colon Cancer Association, and the National Infusion Center Association challenging Medicare drug price negotiations as unconstitutional, siding with the Biden administration. PhRMA says it is disappointed because the decision does not address the lawsuit’s merits and says it is weighing its next legal steps.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the National Infusion Center Association and the Global Colon Cancer Association sue the Biden administration over Medicare drug price negotiations. In a complaint filed in federal district court in Texas, the groups argue the Inflation Reduction Act’s drug-pricing provision violates the U.S. Constitution; the case is the fourth lawsuit challenging the provision.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other lawmakers asked PhRMA how much the trade group and its member companies spent lobbying against a Covid-19 vaccine intellectual property waiver. In a letter to CEO Stephen Ubl obtained by CNBC, they sought spending on efforts targeting Congress and White House officials; data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics show PhRMA spent $8.6 million on lobbying that year, down from $25.9 million in 2020.
PhRMA's 2016 campaign includes establishing a group that ultimately spends $110 million to defeat a California ballot initiative requiring state agencies to pay no more for drugs than the federal Department of Veterans Affairs. A PhRMA-linked group also spends more than $50 million to defeat a similar Ohio measure.
