WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The second most powerful Republican in the U.S. Senate on Thursday said that a Democratic plan on drug pricing would not survive in the Republican-dominated chamber, calling it "heavy-handed."
Senator John Thune, who guides votes as the Republican whip, said the plan would be "dead on arrival" if it passed the Democrat-led House of Representatives and went to the Senate.
"It sounds like it's a very, very heavy-handed government intervention in the marketplace and essentially kind of killing the free market for drugs," Thune told reporters about the proposal released by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Writing by Lisa Lambert)
