Pelosi, Big Pharma At Odds over Impact of House Energy and Commerce Committee Health Care Reform Vote

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement Friday on the vote by the House Energy and Commerce Committee to pass the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, the third House committee to pass the bill this month. Pelosi said: “All three House committees with jurisdiction over health care have now passed health insurance reform legislation.”

David Brennan - PhRMA Chairman

“The reforms now advancing to a vote in the full House of Representatives reflect the diversity of our Members. Our legislation includes the best ideas to build on what works and fix what’s broken in our health care system.”

“Our reforms will hold insurance companies accountable, offering stable coverage and lower costs-even if you get sick, have a pre-existing condition such as diabetes or cancer, or lose or change your job. Americans deserve no less.”

“In the coming weeks, we will work to produce a strong piece of legislation that the House will approve in September.”

The House Ways and Means Committee and Education and Labor Committee approved the bill earlier this month.

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Senior Vice President Ken Johnson disagreed with Speaker Pelosi’s take on the vote. He also released a statement after the Energy and Commerce Committee mark-up of the House Tri-Committee bill:

“Under the House bill, we’re concerned that the federal government will wind up rationing health care and dictating what medicines doctors can prescribe to their patients. This may well prevent patients from gaining access to the critically important medicines they need to fight diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.”

PhRMA represents the country’s leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, devoted to inventing medicines. It’s leader, David Brennan, pictured above, who also heads pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, reported that the global economy’s meltdown has hit his company, AstraZeneca, less severely than anticipated, helping boost second-quarter results and the 2009 earnings forecast, according to the Wall Street Journal.

AstraZeneca said second quarter net profit rose 5.6% to $1.71 billion from $1.62 billion a year earlier. Second quarter revenue was flat on a year-to-year basis at $7.96 billion.

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