AMCP CEO Susan A. Cantrell Comments on House Energy & Commerce Committee Action on PIE Act

Alexandria, Va., June 7, 2017 -- AMCP CEO Susan A. Cantrell, RPh, CAE, comments on today's unanimous vote by the House Energy & Commerce (E&C) Committee to approve legislation reauthorizing the FDA’s user fee programs. The Committee considered, but did not include as an amendment, H.R. 2026, the Pharmaceutical Information Exchange (PIE) Act of 2017, sponsored by Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY). AMCP strongly supports H.R. 2026, which aims to improve patient access to emerging medication therapies by clarifying the scope of permitted health care economic and information communications between biopharmaceutical manufacturers and population health decision makers.

“Pre-FDA-approval communications took an important step forward in today’s discussion of H.R. 2026. We thank Rep. Guthrie for his leadership in championing this important legislation. We also commend E&C Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ) for committing to work together in a bipartisan manner to address pre-approval communications that protect and benefit patients. 

The PIE Act will help AMCP members better care for the patient populations they serve by enabling the implementation of value-based contracts, aiding in forecasting and budgeting, and expediting coverage decisions for emerging therapies granted breakthrough designation immediately upon FDA approval. AMCP looks forward to working with Representatives Guthrie, Walden, Pallone, and the members of the E&C Committee in the coming weeks to move this very important issue forward.”