42 U.S.C. § 5406: Submission of cost or other information by manufacturer

Whenever any manufacturer is opposed to any action of the Secretary under section 5403 of this title or under any other provision of this chapter on the grounds of increased cost or for other reasons, the manufacturer shall submit to the Secretary such cost and other information (in such detail as the Secretary may by rule or order prescribe) as may be necessary in order to properly evaluate the manufacturer’s statement. The Secretary shall submit such cost and other information to the consensus committee for evaluation. Such information shall be available to the public unless the manufacturer establishes that it contains a trade secret or that disclosure of any portion of such information would put the manufacturer at a substantial competitive disadvantage. Notice of the availability of such information shall be published promptly in the Federal Register. If the Secretary determines that any portion of such information contains a trade secret or that the disclosure of any portion of such information would put the manufacturer at a substantial competitive disadvantage, such portion may be disclosed to the public only in such manner as to preserve the confidentiality of such trade secret or in such combined or summary form so as not to disclose the identity of any individual manufacturer, except that any such information may be disclosed to other officers or employees concerned with carrying out this chapter or when relevant in any proceeding under this chapter. Nothing in this subsection shall authorize the withholding of information by the Secretary or any officer or employee under his control from the duly authorized committees of the Congress. For purposes of this section, “cost information” means information with respect to alleged cost increases resulting from action by the Secretary, in such a form as to permit the public, the consensus committee, and the Secretary to make an informed judgment on the validity of the manufacturer’s statements. Such term includes both the manufacturer’s cost and the cost to retail purchasers. Nothing in this section shall be construed to restrict the authority of the Secretary to obtain or require submission of information under any other provision of this chapter.