Cummings, Rockefeller Provide Summary Of “Gray Market” Investigation To FDA Bicameral Negotiators; Offer Policy Solutions

WASHINGTON, D.C.  — Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation, sent a detailed letter about their investigation of the “gray market” distribution network for short-supply prescription drugs to House and Senate negotiators working on legislation to reauthorize Food and Drug Administration programs.

Their letter offers policy recommendations based on information and documents obtained during the ongoing bicameral investigation being conducted by Cummings, Rockefeller, and Senator Tom Harkin, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, into why hospitals and other health care providers are having difficulty obtaining short-supply prescription drugs they need to treat patients suffering from cancer and other life-threatening conditions. The investigation is examining whether certain drug distributors are exploiting drug shortages to price gouge hospitals and other health care providers.