House to investigate drug pricing
WASHINGTON — House Democrats announced a sweeping investigation Monday of the pharmaceutical industry’s pricing practices, jockeying for the upper hand with the Trump administration on an issue that concerns Americans across the political spectrum.
Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings said he’s sent letters to 12 major drugmakers seeking detailed information and documents about pricing practices for brand-name drugs to treat diseases including cancer, diabetes, kidney failure and nerve pain.
Mr. Cummings, a Maryland Democrat, said he wants to find out why prices have increased so dramatically for some existing medications, as well as how drug companies determine the prices of newly introduced medicines, what the manufacturers do with revenue and what steps can be taken to reduce drug costs.
The Trump administration has been pursuing its own plan to lower drug prices by approving more generic medications and trying to do away with industry practices that allow manufacturers, insurers and pharmacy benefit managers to profit at the consumer’s expense. But independent analysts have said that approach does not stop companies from charging high prices to begin with, particularly for medications with no generic competitors.
Campaign allegations
Sen. Bernie Sanders will meet Wednesday with former staff members who allege they faced harassment and sexism on his 2016 campaign. The meeting comes as Mr. Sanders is weighing a presidential bid in 2020.
Mr. Sanders apologized again last week to the women who have come forward to allege they were sexually harassed while working on his presidential campaign. He was responding to a question about a Politico report revealing allegations that an operative, Robert Becker, forcibly kissed a subordinate who had previously worked with him.
Mr. Sanders denied having any knowledge of a $30,000 federal discrimination settlement from the 2016 campaign, reported by Politico, involving two former staffers and tied to Mr. Becker. Mr. Becker denied the allegations in a text to CNN.
Help for preemies’ hearts
CHICAGO — The Food and Drug Administration has approved the world’s first device to treat premature babies with a lifethreatening heart defect, without major surgery.
The device, smaller than a pea and made by Abbott Laboratories, can be implanted in babies weighing as little as 2 pounds. It’s designed to treat babies with patent ductus arteriosus, one of the most common heart defects in premature infants. Companies have made similar devices to treat the condition in older children for years.
Potent Pacific storms
A series of Pacific storms will bring heavy rain, extreme winds and deep snow to California through the week. These rains could lead to mudflows in areas burned by wildfires.
Up to 6 inches of rain are likely to fall on the coast and valleys and one or more feet of snow will pile up in the mountains. A foot of snow is expected in the Southern California mountains with several feet in the Sierras.