July 14, 2010 - The number of contract arrangements for the provision of 340B-discounted drugs reached an all-time high of just under 3,000 during the first week of July, reaching the mark three-quarters of a year faster than had been projected just in April. In March, the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) issued long-delayed final guidelines allowing … [Read more...]
Drug Firms Ask U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Santa Clara 340B Case
Justices asked to decide whether providers can sue on their own accord.Court Rules Against BMS on Overcharge Payments The federal court hearing the California case alleging that nine drug manufacturers overcharged 340B covered entities has found that Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) misled covered entities about why it wassending them checks for retroactive overcharges. In his July 8 order, U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled that any legal … [Read more...]
House Votes to Lift 340B Orphan Drug Prohibition for Children’s Hospitals
Scaled-back inpatient drug discount was not included in the measure.July 14, 2010 - The U.S. House voted unanimously today to re-enable children's hospitals to buy nearly 400 high-priced orphan drugs with the 340B discount. Orphan drugs are used to treat rare conditions affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. The bill, H.R. 5712, now moves to the Senate, where its future is uncertain. The ban on the reduced-price … [Read more...]
SNHPA Expresses Condolences to Friend of Safety-Net Hospital Community
Staunch 340B advocate Fred Metschulat passed away on July 6 following heart surgery.July 9, 2010 - It is with great sorrow that Safety Net Hospitals for Pharmaceutical Access (SNHPA), the publisher of the Drug Discount Monitor, reports the death of its close friend, Fred Metschulat, assistant director of business operations for the University of Maryland Medical Center Pharmacies (UMMC) for the last eight years. Fred passed away on July 6 following a … [Read more...]
Sebelius Pledges to Provide an Extra $25 Million for AIDS Assistance
ADAP advocates, however, say that amount is five times short of what is needed to eliminate record-long wait lists.July 9, 2010 - U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says the Obama administration will apply $25 million in existing federal funding to shorten waiting lists for drugs for people with HIV or AIDS. Sebelius disclosed the funds transfer in a recent letter to Republican Sens. Richard Burr of North Carolina, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Mike Enzi of … [Read more...]
House Approves AMP Clarification in Supplemental War Funding Bill
Limited inpatient drug discounts and orphan drug "fix" are still up in the air.July 8, 2010 - The U.S. House has passed a supplemental funding bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that includes language to amend the definition of the average manufacturer price (AMP) of drugs that was part of the health care reform bill signed by President Obama in March. The amendment to H.R. 4899, commonly referred to as the war supplemental bill, was transferred … [Read more...]
Medicines Company Offers Retroactive Discounts on Angiomax and Cleviprex
Hospitals, however, are not entirely certain what the rebates cover.July 2, 2010 - Drug manufacturer Medicines Company is inviting 340B covered entities to seek refunds of overcharges on its two marketed drugs, the anti-coagulant Angiomax and the calcium channel blocker Cleviprex, retroactive to the date of the company's entry into the 340B program last December. In a notification to 340B providers on its Web site, the drug company tells … [Read more...]