The pharmaceutical industry is reportedly preparing to face a major setback in the coming months at the hands of Democrats.
Politico reports that "Democratic lawmakers are weighing whether to include drug pricing measures that could extract tens of billions of dollars from the industry, or potentially more, to help pay for a massive infrastructure bill they could try to pass along party lines this summer."
While the pharmaceutical industry has in the past been able to beat back such threats to its bottom line, Politico writes that industry insiders believe that they may get steamrolled this time around.
One factor in the industry's sense of impending defeat has been due to a shift from business groups that are tired of paying high health care costs and want to see the government more directly involved in lowering drug prices.
"Progressives could find new support from major employer groups that have historically been wary of price controls but are increasingly fed up with shouldering high health care costs," Politico reports. "One of those groups, the Purchaser Business Group on Health, which represents large companies including Walmart and Boeing, said it's in discussions to support a negotiation bill if it includes limits on price hikes for private health plans."
