Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) sets October confirmation hearing for Monica Bertagnolli, the Biden administration’s nominee for National Institutes of Health (NIH) leader, aiming to alleviate drug pricing concerns.
The announcement, made on Friday, brings an end to the administration’s months-long standoff with Sanders.
Sanders previously declared his opposition to any health agency nominee until the White House presents a comprehensive plan to reduce the cost of prescription drugs.
As chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sanders holds the power to block the confirmation of health nominees. Currently, NIH is the only health agency with a Senate-confirmable vacancy at the top.
Bertagnolli, a cancer surgeon who has been leading the National Cancer Institute since October, was nominated in May. The position of NIH director has been vacant since Francis Collins departed the agency in December 2021. Lawrence Tabak has been serving as the acting director in the meantime.
“In light of the recent actions taken by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the commitment I received from the White House to continue working towards lowering the price of prescription drugs, the HELP Committee will be conducting a hearing in October on the nomination of Dr. Monica Bertagnolli to be the Director of the National Institutes of Health,” Sanders stated.
“I am eager to meet with Dr. Bertagnolli to discuss her plans for substantially reducing the exorbitant price of prescription drugs in America,” he added.
Sanders specifically referenced an HHS announcement made on Friday, stating that the agency had revised its contract with Regeneron, a drug company specializing in next-generation monoclonal antibodies for COVID-19 treatment.
According to HHS, the updated agreement includes a provision that ensures if Regeneron introduces a new product, in which the federal government has invested an undisclosed amount, its price in the United States will be equal to or less than its retail price in comparable global markets.
© 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
