US SB1862

Expands the orphan drug exclusion under Medicare's Drug Price Negotiation Program to cover drugs approved for one or more rare diseases, rather than only those approved for a single rare disease

Excludes time spent as an orphan drug from the calculation of how long a drug has been approved, effectively extending the period before orphan drugs become eligible for Medicare price negotiation

Amends Section 1192(e) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320f-1(e)) governing exclusions from the Drug Price Negotiation Program

Introduced May 22, 2025 by Senators Barrasso (R-WY) and Heinrich (D-NM) with bipartisan sponsorship and referred to the Senate Finance Committee