WASHINGTON—A bill by Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) to prevent drug manufacturers from profiting off unreasonable price hikes passed the House of Representatives today as part of broader legislation to lower prescription drug costs. The Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, which passed with Porter’s support, would allow federal officials to negotiate fair drug prices and included Porter’s Freedom from Price Gouging Act.

“In my two decades as a consumer protection attorney, I’ve seen what happens when we allow large corporations to take advantage of Orange County families. When it comes to prescription drug costs, millions of Americans live this reality on a daily basis,” Congresswoman Porter said. “Today’s legislation is a step in the right direction in our fight to put patients first, and I’m going to keep working on additional proposals to honor access to life-saving medication as a right and not a privilege.”

Porter also announced that she plans to introduce additional legislation to bring down the price of prescriptions and increase access to life-saving drugs. The first of these bills, which would require pharmacists to disclose whether patients could get medication cheaper without insurance, is expected to be introduced next week.

Porter spoke on the House floor this morning in opposition to a partisan amendment that would gut key protections in the bill to lower drug costs. Following her advocacy, this amendment was voted down by the House.

A Congressional Budget Office review of the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act found that it would save taxpayers $46 billion over the next ten years. Some of these dollars will be reinvested to expand Medicare for older Americans to include dental, hearing, and vision services, while other funds will be used to fund research into innovative new cures for diseases.

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