Some rare-disease drugs could stay exempt from Medicare price negotiation for longer. The bill broadens which orphan drugs can qualify and pauses the clock during exempt periods. That could change which drugs Medicare can negotiate over.
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ORPHAN Cures Act is a Senate bill in committee. The latest recorded action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text: CR S3119).
Latest action on S. 1862: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text: CR S3119)
Who this affects: This bill mainly affects drug companies that make rare-disease treatments, people on Medicare who use those drugs, and the Medicare program itself. The biggest direct effect falls on products that may stay outside price negotiation longer because of orphan-drug status.
Why this matters: This matters because it could keep some expensive rare-disease drugs out of Medicare price negotiation for more time. The bill broadens the orphan-drug carveout and stops the clock during exempt periods. That may help companies making rare-disease treatments. It may also reduce or delay Medicare's ability to negotiate prices on some drugs, and the bill does not say exactly how that would affect spending, prices, or patient costs.
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