In a last-ditch effort, the Nevada state Senate late Sunday night passed legislation that combines Democratic and Republican efforts to contain the rising cost of diabetes drugs.
The move comes as the Nevada legislature holds it last day of the session and two days after the Nevada governor, a Republican, vetoed one of the bills over concerns it could backfire by hurting patients and might also raise thorny legal questions. That legislation, which was introduced by a Democratic state senator, would have drug makers report pricing histories and disclose costs, among other things.
The bill was modified, however, to remove a provision requiring drug makers to provide 90-day notice before instituting price hikes above inflation for the preceding year. In vetoing the bill, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval argued the requirement could prompt suppliers to stockpile insulin and other drugs in order to “buy low [and] sell high” or trigger a gray market, since other states may not have such rules.
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