# 119-hr-2542: Old Drugs, New Cures Act

119-hr-2542, Old Drugs, New Cures Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC-1] (D-NC); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-05-06).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2542
- As of: 2026-05-06
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-2542
- Congress: 119
- Title: Old Drugs, New Cures Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-04-01
- Sponsor: Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC-1] (D-NC)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-05-06

## Summary

This bill would create a new **priority research drug designation** to encourage new uses for older medicines and change how those drugs are treated in Medicare and Medicaid rebate and pricing rules. - Patients and beneficiaries: People covered by federal programs could see different access and price dynamics for repurposed drugs because designated products would be handled differently in program pricing and rebate calculations while the designation lasts. - Manufacturers: Drug makers could request designation for products approved at least 10 years earlier that are being tested for a new indication that addresses an unmet need and affects a population where at least 33% of prior-year claims were paid by federal programs. The Secretary would set a request process within 90 days and must decide on requests within 60 days. - Federal payers and program costs: Medicare and Medicaid rebate and pricing rules would exclude designated drugs from the statutory “line extension” and from the Medicaid best-price special rule, changing how rebates and price reporting apply during designation.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Pfluger, August [R-TX-11] (R-TX), 2025-04-01T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New drug label may reduce Medicare/Medicaid rebates: mixed, high. This bill would create a “priority research drug” label for some older prescription drugs. The Secretary would set up the request process within 90 days of enactment and decide within 60 days of a valid request. To qualify, a drug must be at least 10 years old, be studied for a new use with no appr…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-6976: Duty Status Reform Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-3633: Digital Asset Market Clarity Act
- 119-hr-9211: Jewish American Security Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-2542 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2542)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-6976: Duty Status Reform Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6976)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-3633: Digital Asset Market Clarity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3633)
- [119-hr-9211: Jewish American Security Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9211)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2542 (as of 2026-05-06).