Lawmakers acted after a lobbying campaign by a small Washington state pharmaceutical company called Omeros. Its main product is a drug called Omidria, used by hospitals in cataract surgery, which had recently lost a coveted Medicare reimbursement status. The provision restores the drug's expired reimbursement status for two years, making it more lucrative for hospitals to continue using it. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the pricing break for the Omeros drug and three products from other companies will cost taxpayers $26 million over 10 years, taking into account long-range effects. Eli Lilly's imaging agent Amyvid is one of the three other products that will regain their lost Medicare reimbursement status.

Source: ABC News March 23, 2018 20:37 UTC