November 24, 2014—A leading hospital group purchasing organization and 16 prominent health care institutions asked Genentech in an open letter in The New York Times yesterday to reverse its "ill-advised decision" to move its top-selling cancer drugs Avastin, Herceptin, and Rituxan into the more expensive specialty distribution channel. … [Read more...]
Archives for November 2014
Hospital Cancer Clinics See Four Times More Poor Patients
Cancer patients treated in hospital outpatient departments are almost four times more likely than those treated in physician offices to be uninsured or covered by Medicaid, a new study commissioned by the American Hospital Association shows. They also tend to be sicker and come from lower-income communities. Unlike other studies that have erroneously examined the zip codes of … [Read more...]
Study: Hospital Cancer Clinics See Four Times More Poor Patients as Private Clinics
Patients are sicker and have more complex conditionsNovember 21, 2014—Cancer patients treated in hospital outpatient departments are almost four times more likely than those treated in physician offices to be uninsured or covered by Medicaid, a new study commissioned by the American Hospital Association shows. These patients also tend to be sicker and come from lower-income communities. … [Read more...]
Briefing Schedule Set for Second 340B Orphan Drug Lawsuit
Judge who heard first case will hear the follow-upNovember 20, 2014—Final briefs in the drug industry's second lawsuit over the 340B orphan drug exclusion will be due in late March 2015, under a federal district court scheduling order filed this week. … [Read more...]
27 Senators Urge President to Protect Critical Access Hospitals
Don't repeat proposals from prior budgets in FY 2016 request, they askNovember 20, 2014—A bipartisan group of 27 U.S. Senators has asked President Obama not to weaken critical access hospitals in his forthcoming fiscal year 2016 budget request to Congress. … [Read more...]
PhRMA Pushes to Reopen 340B Statute on Capitol Hill
Hospitals say legislative changes could put program in jeopardyThe drug industry has announced it wants Congress to reopen the original 340B law to give the Health Resources and Services Administration additional rule- making authority to regulate the program. … [Read more...]
Goodbye, 340B Mega-Reg. Hello, 340B Guidance
Welcome back, proposed rules on manufacturer sanctions and dispute resolutionNovember 14, 2014—The Health Resources and Services Administration said for the record this morning that, in 2015, it "plans to issue a proposed guidance for notice and comment that will address key policy issues raised by various stakeholders committed to the integrity of the 340B program." … [Read more...]