December 3, 2012—Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.), a leading advocate of expanding and improving the 340B drug discount program, announced that she will retire from Congress in February. The 16-year veteran lawmaker is an original co-sponsor of the 340B Program Improvement Act (H.R. 2674), which in addition to extending 340B discounts to the hospital inpatient setting would lift … [Read more...]
HRSA Notifies 340B Health Centers About Upcoming Recertification
Officials advised to verify and update their enrollment information earlyDecember 3, 2012—The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has sent emails to community health centers formally notifying them that recertification of their eligibility for 340B drug discounts will begin in January. HRSA's Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC), which oversees the federal health center program, sent the messages about the recertification … [Read more...]
Drug Shortage Bill Would Stem 340B Discounts Through 2020
Exemption would raise drug costs without easing shortfalls, hospitals warnNovember 30, 2012—Legislation that aims to address drug shortages by exempting manufacturers from providing 340B discounts on certain pharmaceuticals has been introduced in the U.S. House. Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, introduced the Patient Access to Drugs in Shortage Act (H.R. 6611) late yesterday. … [Read more...]
GAO Asked to Study GPOs’ Possible Role in Drug Shortages
House Democrats' request spurred by meningitis outbreak linked to tainted drugsNovember 19, 2012—Six influential House Democrats have asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate whether group purchasing organization (GPO) contracting practices have caused drug shortages that, in turn, have forced hospitals and other providers to rely on compounding pharmacies to obtain medicines at reasonable cost. The Nov. 15 request came amid … [Read more...]
Bill Carving Some Drugs Out of 340B Is Expected Soon
Certain generic injectable products would be exempt for up to 7 yearsNovember 16, 2012—Expectations are growing that a bill may be introduced in Congress soon that would exempt certain generic injectable drugs from 340B drug discounts for possibly up to seven years. Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, has drafted drug shortage legislation that includes the 340B discount exemption and … [Read more...]
Suit Filed Over Reduced-Price Vaccines Through 340B Prime Vendor
For-profit clinic says voluntary discounts for safety-net providers are unfairNovember 14, 2012—A private, for-profit immunization clinic in Las Vegas has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to stop GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) from selling vaccines to a Nevada local public health entity at voluntarily discounted prices negotiated by the 340B Prime Vendor Program (PVP). In an Oct. 25 complaint filed in federal district court in Las Vegas, The Vaccine Center … [Read more...]
Mylan to Issue Refunds for 340B Overcharges
Providers, meanwhile, begin receiving overcharge refunds from GSKNovember 7, 2012—Drug manufacturer Mylan will soon be mailing refunds to 340B providers for overcharges on all products sold by its Dey Pharma subsidiary from late 1994 through late 2006, according to an announcement on the Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA) home page. In its statement on the OPA Web site, Mylan said the need to provide refunds to 340B covered entities "arises … [Read more...]