S 771
115th Congress
Senate
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Improving Access To Affordable Prescription Drugs Act
Everywhere this bill has been
2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 29, 2017
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Mar 29, 2017
Introduced in Senate
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Plain-English summary
This bill amends provisions of various laws relating to prescription-drug pricing and affordability. Specifically, the bill:
- expands reporting requirements for drug manufacturers and establishes corresponding civil penalties for noncompliance;
- adds reporting requirements for certain nonprofit patient-assistance programs;
- requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress on the impact of patient-assistance programs on prescription-drug pricing and expenditures;
- requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to negotiate prices for certain prescription drugs under the Medicare program;
- requires the GAO to report to Congress on such negotiations conducted by the CMS;
- requires the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation within the CMS to test specified models for negotiating drug prices;
- establishes reporting requirements, and corresponding civil penalties for noncompliance, for pharmaceutical companies with respect to spikes in prescription-drug prices;
- establishes an excise tax on prescription drugs subject to price spikes;
- lessens prescription-drug cost-sharing requirements under qualified health plans, group health plans, and the Medicare program;
- modifies provisions related to the importation of prescription drugs;
- requires drug manufacturers to provide drug rebates for drugs dispensed to certain low-income individuals under the Medicare program;
- establishes a prize fund for new and more effective treatments of bacterial infections;
- establishes a Center for Clinical Research within the National Institutes of Health;
- modifies provisions related to drug exclusivity;
- allows the Federal Trade Commission to initiate enforcement proceedings against parties to an agreement resolving or settling a patent-infringement claim in connection with the sale of a drug product;
- requires the Food and Drug Administration to establish a database of generic drugs; and
- modifies other provisions related to generic drugs, prescription-drug advertising, and product hopping.
What's happening now
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Related & companion bills
10
Bill text
1 version
- Introduced in Senate Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
Committees of jurisdiction
1
Cite this page
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 771: Improving Access To Affordable Prescription Drugs Act. 115th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-771/
"S. 771: Improving Access To Affordable Prescription Drugs Act." 115th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-771/.
S. 771, 115th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-771/.
[S. 771: Improving Access To Affordable Prescription Drugs Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-771/)