WASHINGTON, DC - The Subcommittee on Health, chaired by Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), today held a markup on three bills to advance public health and help medical professionals.
#SubHealth advanced the following bills:
* H.R. 1876, the Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act of 2017, authored by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), will shield health care professionals from liability when they volunteer their services during a federally declared disaster. H.R. 1876 passed by voice vote, as amended.
* H.R. 2026, the Pharmaceutical Information Exchange (PIE) Act of 2017, authored by Vice Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY). H.R. 2026 will clarify how drug and medical device companies can share health care economic or scientific information with certain entities if it is truthful, non-misleading, based on competent and reliable scientific evidence and relates to an investigational use of a drug or device. This will help ensure patients can access new treatments and cures quicker. H.R. 2026 passed by a vote of 18-14, as amended.
* H.R. __, the Over-the-Counter Monograph Safety, Innovation, and Reform Act of 2018, authored by representatives Bob Latta (R-OH), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Chairman Burgess, Vice Chairman Guthrie, Ranking Member Gene Green (D-TX), and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI). H.R. __ will modernize regulation of over-the-counter (OTC) consumer health products, and establish a user fee program at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for these products. H.R. __ passed by voice vote.
“The policies within each of these bills exemplify our shared commitment to improve and strengthen public health policy for all Americans," said #SubHealth Chairman Burgess. “These are critical, commonsense reforms that have the potential to really deliver for patients in our communities."
