Congress Is Finally Ready to Work on Drug Shortages

Hi, it’s Anna in Virginia. Lawmakers are set to take aim (sort of) at drug shortages, but first …

Congress’s first week back from August recess will feature a hearing Thursday on legislative proposals that aim to tackle drug shortages. I realize it seems like a long time since last winter, when panicked parents couldn’t find amoxicillin for their kids or cancer patients started having trouble getting life-saving treatments. But for Washington, this is almost lightning speed.

The problem, though, is that the legislation the House Energy and Commerce’s health panel is set to discuss at the hearing wouldn’t do a whole lot. The main proposal focuses on federal programs that discount drugs for low-income patients, which legislators think cut into companies’ bottom lines and limit their flexibility when facing major swings in supply and demand. But while those manufacturers’ razor-thin profit margins are part of the problem, the discount programs don't really affect them.