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H.R. 3947 116th Congress House

Competition Prescription Act of 2019

Official title: To lower the cost of prescription drugs, and for other purposes.

Introduced: July 24, 2019 See on congress.gov
Health Administrative law and regulatory proceduresAdministrative remediesCivil actions and liabilityCompetition and antitrust
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Consumer affairsContracts and agencyDepartment of Health and Human ServicesDrug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulationEmployee benefits and pensionsFederal district courtsFederal preemptionGovernment employee pay, benefits, personnel managementGovernment information and archivesHealth care costs and insuranceHealth information and medical recordsHealth technology, devices, suppliesInflation and pricesInsurance industry and regulationLicensing and registrationsMedicaidMedical ethicsMedical researchMedicareMilitary medicinePrescription drugsProduct development and innovationResearch and developmentRetail and wholesale tradesRight of privacy
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This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) 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 8 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Aug 28, 2019
Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.
Aug 28, 2019
Referred to the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law.
Aug 28, 2019
Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.
Jul 25, 2019
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Jul 25, 2019
Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
Jul 24, 2019
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Jul 24, 2019
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, the Judiciary, Armed Services, and Oversight and Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Jul 24, 2019
Introduced in House
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 Latest action August 28, 2019

Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Competition Prescription Act of 2019

This bill revises various requirements related to the development, production, and sale of prescription drugs and biological products.

First, the bill permits the developer of a drug or biological product to bring a civil action against the license holder of an approved product if the license holder has declined to make available sufficient quantities of the approved product for the developer's testing.

The bill also requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to establish a process for developers of generic complex drugs to request and receive expedited development and priority review. Further, upon request by a drug sponsor, a drug that treats a life-threatening disease or condition must be designated for expedited review if there are fewer than three drugs currently available for such treatment.

States are prohibited from placing restrictions on dispensing substitute biological products that have been determined to be interchangeable with another product by the FDA.

Additionally, the bill prohibits sponsors of Medicare Part D prescription drug plans from reducing a payment to a pharmacy after a claim without defect has been submitted by such pharmacy. The bill establishes requirements for pricing standards for pharmacy benefits managers under Medicare and other federal prescription drug benefits programs. Starting in 2025, the bill removes the cap on rebates paid by manufacturers of outpatient prescription drugs under Medicaid.

Further, the bill requires the publication of specified information regarding licensed biological products, exempts from antitrust prohibitions specified drug-price negotiation strategies, and establishes a Chief Pharmaceutical Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.


 Related & companion bills 4
  • HR 2209 Fixing Global Freeloading Act
  • S 3942 Securing America’s Medical Supply Chain and Advancing the Production of Life Saving Medicines Act
  • HR 965 CREATES Act of 2019
  • HR 1332 Fair Care Act of 2019
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 11
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 3947: Competition Prescription Act of 2019. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-3947/
MLA
"H.R. 3947: Competition Prescription Act of 2019." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-3947/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 3947, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-3947/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 3947: Competition Prescription Act of 2019](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-3947/)
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