H.R. 2873: Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Through Promoting Competition Act of 2021
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H.R. 2873: Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Through Promoting Competition Act of 2021
117th Congress · introduced 2021-04-28 · Commerce · Latest: Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 27 - 16.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2021-04-28 · official record
- Who proposed it: Rep. Cicilline, David N. [D-RI-1] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by the Yeas and Nays: 27 - 16. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Through Promoting Competition Act of 2021
Plain summary
Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Through Promoting Competition Act of 2021 This bill prohibits product hopping by drug manufacturers and authorizes the Federal Trade Commission to sue in court or institute administrative proceedings to enforce this prohibition. Generally, product-hopping describes a situation where, when the patents on a reference drug (or biological product) expire, the manufacturer switches to a follow-on product that is covered by a later-expiring patent. Under this bill, a follow-on product is a changed, modified, or reformulated version of the reference drug that shares an indication (what the drug is used for) with the reference drug. The bill presumes product hopping has occurred when a reference drug manufacturer engages in a hard switch or a soft switch . A hard switch occurs when, after receiving notice of an application for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to market a generic (or biosimilar) version of the reference drug, the manufacturer markets a follow-on product and (1) the FDA withdraws approval of the reference drug at the manufacturer's request, or (2) the manufacturer announces the withdrawal or discontinuance of the reference drug or destroys the drug's inventory in a manner that impedes generic competitors. Furthermore, the bill presumes that a soft switch occurred if a reference drug manufacturer (1) markets a follow-on product, and (2) takes actions that disadvantage the reference drug relative to that follow-on product in a way that impedes competition from a generic drug. A drug manufacturer may rebut these presumptions by demonstrating that its conduct was not intended to limit competition.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
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A “Nay” vote
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What does this mean? (plain words)
Official text
Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Through Promoting Competition Act of 2021
Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Rep. Cicilline, David N. [D-RI-1] · 5 cosponsors
Cosponsors on this site
Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)
No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.
Words on this page, explained (1)
- Bill
- A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-117hr2873.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/117/hr>
Record fed-us-cong117-hr2873 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117