Sen. Chuck Grassley, pointing to hundreds of recent price hikes from drugmakers, has renewed a push to win support for his drug-pricing legislation, according to Politico.
Mr. Grassley has struggled to win Republican support for his drug-pricing legislation, largely due to the provision that would penalize drugmakers that raise prices faster than inflation.
This week Politico reported that Mr. Grassley had sharp words for the pharmaceutical industry and some of his Republican colleagues about the resistance to his legislation.
"People are fed up with big increases in drug prices," he told Politico. "There's 22 Republicans up for election, and [people] need an answer to that."
Mr. Grassley is arguing that his bill, drafted in partnership with Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), is the only one with any real shot of passing in the Senate. He is attempting to get Republican senators on board by saying drugmakers can still recoup their investment by using the right launch price.
"We're only saying, once you get your money back, you have to keep your prices reasonable," he told lawmakers.