De­spite Dem op­po­si­tion, House com­mit­tee ad­vances pan­dem­ic pre­pared­ness bill sans drug short­age pro­vi­sions

The House En­er­gy & Com­merce Com­mit­tee ad­vanced its pan­dem­ic pre­pared­ness reau­tho­riza­tion leg­is­la­tion Wednes­day, de­spite firm op­po­si­tion from the pan­el’s De­moc­rats who al­so rein­tro­duced their own “al­ter­na­tive” bill to reau­tho­rize the pro­gram and help FDA com­bat drug short­ages.

The Pan­dem­ic and All-Haz­ards Pre­pared­ness Act (PAH­PA) is con­sid­ered a must-pass piece of leg­is­la­tion in­tend­ed to bol­ster the coun­try’s abil­i­ty to re­spond to emerg­ing threats, and it will ex­pire on Sept. 30 if not reau­tho­rized. This is the first time the pro­gram is up for reau­tho­riza­tion since the Covid-19 pan­dem­ic emerged, and the reau­tho­riza­tion will ex­tend through 2028.

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