February 14, 2014—Pharmaceutical purchases through the 340B discount program were an estimated $7.5 billion in 2013, the 340B Prime Vendor Program (PVP) reports.
Overall U.S. spending on pharmaceutical products in 2012, the most recent year for which data are available, stood at $326 billion, according to IMS Health Informatics Institute. Together, that figure and the new PVP data for 2013 suggest that 340B sales are in the neighborhood of 2.3 percent of the U.S. prescription drug market.
In a recent court filing, the Department of Health and Human Services said 340B sales totaled $6.9 billion in fiscal year 2012.
Apexus President Chris Hatwig provided the updated 340B sales figure last week during the 340B Coalition winter meeting in San Diego. Apexus operates PVP under a federal contract.
Hatwig also provided the following 340B statistics:
- PVP negotiated $67.3 million in 340B sub-ceiling discounts in 2013, up from $52.7 million in 2012 and $41.7 million in 2011.
- PVP contracted with 100 suppliers in 2013, up from 65 in 2012.
- Eighty-two percent (20,340 out of 24,768) of the covered entity sites that participate in 340B also participate in PVP. Ninety-eight percent of 340B disproportionate share hospital sites and 86 percent of community health center/federally qualified health center sites are PVP participants.
- Thirty-six percent of PVP participants sites use Cardinal as their pharmacy distributor, 26 percent use AmerisourceBergen, and 19 percent use McKesson.
- Hospitals make 86.6 percent of all 340B purchases, health centers 5.8 percent, and Ryan White Program grantees 4.6 percent.