FILE PHOTO: Sen. John Thune (R-SD) speaks to Capitol Hill reporters following the Republicans' weekly policy luncheon in Washington, U.S., July 31, 2018. REUTERS/Allison Shelley

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.