September 14, 2010—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have decided that just one drug – MedImmune's Synagis (palivizumab), which is used to prevent serious lung infections in infants – meets the criteria for the new lower Medicaid rebate established for pediatric drugs under health care reform. The decision, which CMS announced in an Aug. 16 guidance … [Read more...]
CMS Plans To Withdraw AMP Rules Without a Timetable for a Replacement
Advises manufacturers to calculate prices in the meantime on health care reform language.September 14, 2010—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed last week to withdraw its regulations and guidelines defining the average manufacturer price (AMP) of prescription drugs and advised pharmaceutical companies to temporarily determine those prices instead on language taken straight from the nation's new health care reform law. AMP is a key factor in … [Read more...]
Calif. Counties and Drug Firms Still Sparing Over 340B Records Disclosure
Companies are resisting Santa Clara plaintiffs' demands for more raw data on prices.September 14, 2010—Two California counties and the nine leading drug manufacturers they accuse of overcharging them for 340B-discounted drugs continued to exchange punches in federal district court in San Francisco this summer over the scope of discovery in the closely watched case. In Washington, meanwhile, the nation's highest court is preparing to decide whether to rule on a … [Read more...]
Drug Companies Begin Denying 340B Pricing on Orphan Drugs to Children’s Hospitals
Congressional action to lift the ban is promised, but not certain.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...]