WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives is fast-tracking a vote on a key priority for the pharmaceutical industry, but the measure faces a tougher path in the Senate, where concerns over drug prices and broader political animosity over repeal efforts could drag out the process.
The package would update the contracts that govern the relationship between drug and device makers and the Food and Drug Administration and that spell out how the industry would fund the agency’s oversight and approval processes. The legislation is considered critical for the functioning of the FDA, and agency leaders have warned they will lay off employees if Congress does not approve the legislation before the end of the fiscal year.
The agency could begin sending out some notices as early as Aug. 1.
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