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S 2023 114th Congress Senate

Prescription Drug Affordability Act of 2015

Official title: A bill to ensure greater affordability of prescription drugs.

Introduced: September 10, 2015 Introduced by: Sanders, Bernard Independent · Vermont See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 114th Congress ended
It never became law before the 114th Congress (2015–2016) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Sep 10, 2015
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Sep 10, 2015
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action September 10, 2015

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Prescription Drug Affordability Act of 2015

This bill amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to modify provisions related to the affordability of prescription drugs under the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Specifically, the bill:

  • requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid to negotiate lower prices on behalf of beneficiaries for drugs covered under Medicare Part D;
  • accelerates closure of the Medicare Part D coverage gap known as the "donut hole," under which beneficiaries who have reached a certain level of yearly drug costs become fully responsible for any additional drug costs up to a certain limit;
  • requires drug manufacturers to issue rebates for prescription drugs dispensed to eligible low-income individuals under Medicare or Medicaid; and
  • expands the application of certain prescription drug rebate requirements under Medicaid to include rebates for generic drugs.

The bill also amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to: (1) allow the importation by individuals of prescription drugs from Canada and, potentially, other countries; and (2) establish certain conditions on the award of market exclusivity with respect to drugs. Specifically, a drug manufacturer's market exclusivity shall be terminated if the manufacturer commits, or fails to report, a drug-related violation such as misbranding, illegal marketing, or fraud.

In addition, the bill amends the Federal Trade Commission Act to: (1) establish restrictions on certain anticompetitive patent settlements known as "pay-for-delay" agreements, which effectively block generic drug competition; and (2) allow the Federal Trade Commission to initiate proceedings to enforce these restrictions against any parties to such a settlement.

The bill also requires drug manufacturers to produce and share annual reports containing specified information related to domestic and foreign sales.

 Related & companion bills 7
  • HR 2005 Related bill Medicare Drug Savings Act of 2015
  • HR 2391 Related bill Medicaid Generic Drug Price Fairness Act of 2015
  • HR 3061 Related bill Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2015
  • S 31 Related bill Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2015
  • S 1083 Related bill Medicare Drug Savings Act of 2015
  • S 1364 Related bill Medicaid Generic Drug Price Fairness Act of 2015
  • HR 3513 Identical bill Prescription Drug Affordability Act of 2015
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 2023: Prescription Drug Affordability Act of 2015. 114th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-2023/
MLA
"S. 2023: Prescription Drug Affordability Act of 2015." 114th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-2023/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 2023, 114th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-2023/.
Markdown link
[S. 2023: Prescription Drug Affordability Act of 2015](https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-2023/)
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