An eye-roll-inducing update on the year-end spending package 

We updated you last week on rumors that the spending deal being hashed out by the House and Senate to avoid a government shutdown starting at the end of this week could include some notable drug pricing policies. It turns out that there will likely be just one included, the CREATES Act of 2019. The bill is meant to generate generic competition, and is so bipartisan and well worn that there’s virtually no one in Washington willing to speak out against it.

It also looks like the package might include a permanent repeal of a slew of industry taxes created by the Affordable Care Act. It’s felt like Groundhog Day in Washington for nearly a decade now when it comes to those taxes: every time they are set to kick in, industry gripes and lawmakers then pen legislation delaying implementation. With a permanent repeal, that mind-numbing game will finally end.

If you, like me, were hoping for some year-end fireworks, perhaps we all can find solace in knowing that approval of this spending package might finally mean no one ever has to hear about repeal of the medical device tax or the CREATES Act ever again.