| The Senate Judiciary Committee will soon vote on a controversial bill aimed at lowering drug prices. The bill, known as the CREATES Act, seeks to crack down on drug companies using tactics to delay the introduction of cheaper generic drugs onto the market. It has been stalled for months amid intense opposition from pharmaceutical companies, despite being sponsored by members of both parties. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, has scheduled for the panel to consider the bill on Thursday. A committee aide said that under the panel's procedures, consideration of the bill will likely not actually happen until next week. Why it matters: The CREATES Act was supposed to be included in a government spending deal earlier this year, but was met by opposition from the powerful pharmaceutical industry. But Grassley said last month that he was talking with the industry about a possible deal where they would relent on their opposition in exchange for a fix to a Medicare provision that is costly to drug companies. More on what's next here. The Food and Drug Administration sent a strong warning Tuesday to 53 websites marketing unapproved opioids, which could be dangerous to consumers who take them. "The internet is virtually awash in illegal narcotics and we're going to be taking new steps to work with legitimate internet firms to voluntarily crack down on these sales," FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement. Why it matters: These drugs, while marketed as authentic, can be counterfeit, contaminated or expired. It's a particular concern given the fact that counterfeit opioids can be laced with Fentanyl, a drug that is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine and has led to overdose deaths in the U.S. Read more about the crackdown here. | 
