Trending News Today: Lawmakers Seek to Prohibit Blocking Generic Competition

Legislators are considering the addition of a provision to a proposed spending bill that would fight high drug costs, The Hill reported. The Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples Act, which aims to prevent drug manufacturers from delaying generic drug competition, has gained bipartisan support thus far. Manufacturers argue that this provision would harm patient safety and result in lawsuits, but a Senate GOP aide said it would likely gain enough votes to pass, according to the article.

Accidental deaths increased significantly in 2016 and became a leading cause of death in the United States, which was attributable to the opioid epidemic, according to NPR. In total, there were 37,814 unintentional opioid overdose deaths, a 10% increase over 2015, according to the article. President Donald Trump recently declared a public health emergency as a move to combat the opioid epidemic and related deaths.

GOP lawmakers seemed to come together on a short-term funding bill to avoid a government shutdown, according to Politico. The funding bill includes a delay of Affordable Care Act taxes and a 6-year reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Republicans believe the measure will pass due to support for delaying taxes and the bipartisan support for CHIP, according to the article.