Inside STAT: Elijah Cummings gets a gavel to take on pharma

For years, Rep. Elijah Cummings has been a thorn in the pharma industry's side, but the Maryland Democrat's clout was limited while Republicans maintained control of the House. But now, he'll be armed with the authority of a powerful committee chairmanship at a time when lawmakers in both parties are squeezing drug companies more than ever before. Cummings is set to take the reins of the House oversight committee, a high-profile role that will give him the power to haul in health care execs and demand explanations for price hikes or murky rebate systems. STAT's Andrew Joseph has the story here here.