September 11, 2009 - Safety-net providers know only too well the challenges of implementing and maintaining patient assistance programs (PAPs), designed to help indigent Americans access much-needed drugs. So they were encouraged to learn of a recent legal opinion stating - hopefully once and for all - that so-called bulk PAPs are not a violation of the federal … [Read more...]
Baucus Health Care Reform “Framework” Hits PhRMA Hard
The Democratic chairman of the Senate Finance Committee is seeking additional concessions from manufacturers in his health reform bill. And he's not wasting time to get his bill finished.Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.) September 10, 2009 - The latest health care reform proposal that Sen. Max Baucus circulated to his Senate colleagues Tuesday appears to hit the pharmaceutical industry significantly harder than did the deal the Montana Democrat negotiated with PhRMA in early summer. The Monitor obtained a copy of the document titled “Framework for … [Read more...]
Harkin To Lead Key Senate Health Committee
The Iowa Democrat will have an important hand in 340B policy issues and in funding for the Office of Pharmacy Affairs.Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) September 10, 2009 - Sen. Tom Harkin is the new chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, also known as the HELP Committee. The Iowa Democrat replaces the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, who died last month after a long illness. The HELP Committee has jurisdiction over the 340B drug discount program and in July … [Read more...]
340B Providers Left Out of $2.3B Pfizer Settlement
Pfizer's record deal with federal prosecutors offers nil to Public Health Service entities. Some wonder why.September 9, 2009 - After being awarded damages in a string of high-profile health fraud settlements, 340B participants were side-stepped in Pfizer's record deal with the federal government – a signal that Public Health Service (PHS) providers cannot count on being included in legal settlements involving off-label use of drugs. Indeed, unlike cases that involved violations … [Read more...]
The Loss of a 340B Champion
The 340B community mourns the loss of Ted Kennedy.tedkennedy.org Senator Ted Kennedy September 1, 2009 - Senator Ted Kennedy was a leader on many critical domestic and international issues, but improving access to health care was, in his own words, "the cause of my life." The 340B world knows first-hand what Kennedy meant for clinics and hospitals that serve the nation's uninsured and underinsured patients. In the … [Read more...]
They’re in! Children’s Hospitals Qualify for 340B
HRSA has issued final guidelines allowing children's hospitals into the 340B program.September 1, 2009 - HRSA has issued final guidelines allowing children's hospitals into the 340B program. The much-anticipated notice will be published in the Sept. 1 Federal Registerand take effect immediately. Because the supporting documentation that must be submitted under the final guidelines differs from what was required in the July 2007 proposed guidelines, hospitals … [Read more...]
PhRMA Caught Between Barack and a Hard Place
August 27, 2009 - Just as PhRMA thought it might be done making concessions toward health care reform, the drug industry finds itself on shaky ground with the White House while at the same time fielding live grenades from the Republican leadership. PhRMA President and Chief Executive Billy Tauzin complained in early August that the White House appeared to be backing away … [Read more...]