To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to enter into agreements with drug manufacturers to establish reserve supplies of covered pediatric cancer drugs, and for other purposes.
The Pediatric Cancer Drug Supply Act of 2024 directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to create a pilot program that purchases and maintains at least six-month reserve supplies of essential cancer drugs used to treat children. The bill requires the Health and Human Services Department to develop a list of critical pediatric cancer drugs within 150 days and enter into agreements with drug manufacturers to hold these supplies, preferably with multiple manufacturers per drug to encourage competition and domestic manufacturing. When a covered pediatric cancer drug faces a shortage or is at risk of one, the Secretary can order manufacturers to release drugs from the reserves, with costs recovered through payments from recipients that can only be used to replenish supplies. The bill authorizes $500 million in funding for fiscal year 2024 for this reserve program and requires annual reports to Congress on program progress, drug purchases, and distributions. The legislation aims to prevent shortages of critical pediatric cancer treatments while maintaining market stability and manufacturing quality.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.