Speaking of sweeping plans: I see you, Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Senate is about to debate a sweeping new drug pricing plan that would, most notably, direct the state’s Health Policy Commission to get in the business of assessing whether drugs are worth the price manufacturers are charging — akin to what the Bay State watchdog, ICER, already does.

The proposal has already drawn swift criticism from BIO CEO Jim Greenwood, who took to Twitter to warn that the plan would “lead to rationed care and destroy the discovery of future treatments, which will ultimately lead to worse health outcomes and more health care spending down the road.”

That’s not all the bill would do: It would also cap what patients pay for insulin at $25 a month, require middlemen to get licenses to operate, and require drug makers to notify the state when they plan to launch a new high-cost drug or when it hikes the price of existing drugs, among other changes.

While the plan itself is interesting policy, I’m paying attention because of the state proposing it. Remember, Massachusetts’s governor is a Republican, and the state has one of the biggest biotech sectors and one of the biggest state biotech lobbies in the country. Not a great sign for the industry’s political good will...