January 30, 2014—Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), a driving force behind the 340B program's creation and one of its strongest defenders, has decided not to seek reelection in the fall and will retire at the end of this year. … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2014
340B Recertification Starts Feb. 10 for Most Centers and Grantees
Hospitals and family planning centers will go through process later this yearJanuary 30, 2014—All 340B covered entities other than hospitals and Title X family planning centers will need to recertify their eligibility for the drug discount program during a four-week period that begins Feb. 10, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA). … [Read more...]
Texas Medicaid Moving Away From Acquisition Cost Billing for 340B Drugs
State would base reimbursement instead on its best estimate of 340B pricesJanuary 29, 2014—Texas Medicaid proposes to stop requiring health care providers to bill it for 340B drugs at actual acquisition cost (AAC) and to begin reimbursing providers instead based on its best estimate of a drug’s 340B price plus a dispensing fee. … [Read more...]
PhRMA, DOJ File Final Briefs in 340B Orphan Drug Case
Decision could come as soon as MarchJanuary 23, 2014—The federal government and drugmakers have made their final arguments in the industry's lawsuit over the government regulation that lets certain rural and cancer hospitals access 340B discounts on orphan drugs when used for non-orphan indications. … [Read more...]
Congress Agrees to More than Double 340B Program Funding
OPA would be expected to implement long-delayed requirementsJanuary 14, 2014—House and Senate negotiators have signed off on a federal spending bill for the fiscal year that runs through September that would more than double the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Office of Pharmacy Affairs' (OPA) budget, including $6 million for new 340B program integrity efforts. … [Read more...]
Government Asks Court to Uphold 340B Orphan Drug Rule
PhRMA expected to make its final arguments by the end of this weekJanuary 14, 2014—If the federal government's legal defense of the 340B orphan drug regulation is successful, it might have to send Sherlock Holmes a thank-you note. … [Read more...]
Will 2014 Be the Year of the 340B Mega-Reg?
A rundown of what's in store for 340B in the coming yearJanuary 10, 2014—With just one exception, the federal government has always managed the 340B program without formal regulations, setting 340B's rules of the road instead through guidelines, policy releases, FAQs, and the like. … [Read more...]