September 14, 2010—Pharmaceutical manufacturers have begun notifying the nation's children's hospitals that, pursuant to a controversial provision in the new health care reform law, they will no longer provide them with 340B pricing on "orphan" drugs to treat rare medical conditions. The Monitor has learned in recent days that Genentech has begun notifying children's … [Read more...]
Trustees’ Report Finds Medicare Part D Drug Benefit Is Costing Less than Expected
Average premiums are also expected to remain fairly stable in 2011.September 2, 2010—The Medicare Part D drug benefit is costing the federal government billions of dollars less than projected in part because the sign-up rate and the growth rate in prescription drug spending have been lower than anticipated. Part D, which was signed into law in 2003 and began operating in 2006, was initially projected to cost $634 billion from fiscal 2004 … [Read more...]
PSSC Accepting Applications for 340B Peer Mentoring Competition
September 2, 2010—The Pharmacy Services and Support Center (PSSC) has begun accepting applications for its new initiative to connect 10 high-achieving 340B providers with others to help them become "leading practice sites." PSSC Vice President Lisa Scholz announced the 340B Integrity and Quality Leading Practice Achievement Peer to Peer (340B IQ P2P) Program during the 340B … [Read more...]
82 New Hospitals Join 340B Program in First Month of Eligibility
All but one are rural facilities granted access through the Affordable Care Act.September 2, 2010—Eighty-one rural hospitals and one children's hospital joined the 340B drug discount program last month under health care reform's expansion of the program. Data released by the Office of Pharmacy Affairs show that the 82 hospitals registered a total of 136 sites for the program during the month, the first of two during which newly eligible applicants are … [Read more...]
Obama Signs Bill Maintaining 340B Discounts for Certain Non-Retail Drugs
Measure clarifies that injectable, infusible, inhalable, instilled and implanted drugs will continue to be included in AMP.August 11, 2010—President Obama signed a Medicaid funding and jobs bill yesterday that includes a provision that ensures that 340B providers will continue receiving drug discounts that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) had called into question. The House passed the bill on Aug. 10 and the Senate a week earlier. The measure's 340B-related section clarifies that non-retail sales … [Read more...]
California High Court Lets Independent Pharmacies Sue Major Drug Firms
Suit alleges conspiracy to artificially inflate brand-name drug prices.August 10, 2010—The California Supreme Court has allowed 16 independent retail pharmacies to proceed with a suit charging 20 major drug manufacturers with conspiracy to artificially inflate brand-name drug prices. The suit, Clayworth v. Pfizer, alleges that high-level company executives often met to maintain inflated prices in the United States, to keep their lower-priced … [Read more...]
Enrollment Begins for Newly Eligible 340B Hospitals
HRSA estimates participation will eventually rise by 6,000 sites.August 5, 2010 - The federal Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA) this week formally began enrolling free-standing cancer centers, critical access hospitals, rural referral centers and sole community hospitals into the 340B drug discount program. It also updated its Web site's home page with direct links to hospital definitions, program registration forms, and the recording of its … [Read more...]