August 11, 2010—President Obama signed a Medicaid funding and jobs bill yesterday that includes a provision that ensures that 340B providers will continue receiving drug discounts that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) had called into question. The House passed the bill on Aug. 10 and the Senate a week earlier. The measure's 340B-related section clarifies that non-retail sales … [Read more...]
California High Court Lets Independent Pharmacies Sue Major Drug Firms
Suit alleges conspiracy to artificially inflate brand-name drug prices.August 10, 2010—The California Supreme Court has allowed 16 independent retail pharmacies to proceed with a suit charging 20 major drug manufacturers with conspiracy to artificially inflate brand-name drug prices. The suit, Clayworth v. Pfizer, alleges that high-level company executives often met to maintain inflated prices in the United States, to keep their lower-priced … [Read more...]
Enrollment Begins for Newly Eligible 340B Hospitals
HRSA estimates participation will eventually rise by 6,000 sites.August 5, 2010 - The federal Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA) this week formally began enrolling free-standing cancer centers, critical access hospitals, rural referral centers and sole community hospitals into the 340B drug discount program. It also updated its Web site's home page with direct links to hospital definitions, program registration forms, and the recording of its … [Read more...]
Senate Panel OK’s $5.2 Million for OPA in Coming Fiscal Year
Tells office to follow current patient definition guidelines and work more closely with CMS.August 5, 2010 - The full Senate Appropriations Committee has proposed a $3 million raise for the Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA) for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. In a report accompanying its 2011 federal health spending bill, the committee also expresses its concern with OPA's proposal to narrow the definition of "patient" for 340B purposes and asks the Health … [Read more...]
“Comparative Effectiveness” Could Reshape Pharmacy Decision Making
New federal panel's recommendations are expected to carry great weight with payers, providers and drug makers.August 5, 2010 - A provision in the new health care reform law calling for more research and disclosure on the pros and cons of medical interventions could drastically change how payers pick which medicines to favor, how providers pick which ones to prescribe and how manufacturers pick which ones to develop and promote. A section buried deep within the Affordable Care Act's … [Read more...]
Newly Eligible 340B Hospitals Advised to Apply Early
July 29, 2010 - Federal Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA) officials explained during a webinar yesterday how enrollment for hospitals newly eligible for 340B drug discounts will work. But they took a pass on answering some hard questions about retroactive discounts, the definition of an outpatient, billing Medicaid for 340B drugs, and the lack of discounts for purchases of … [Read more...]
OPA Announces July 28 Webinar on 340B Enrollment for New Hospital Types
Also confirms two-month rolling admission period beginning on Aug. 2.July 27, 2010 - The federal Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA) formally announced yesterday that it will begin enrolling hospitals that are newly eligible for 340B drug discounts on Aug. 2. It also announced that it will hold a webinar tomorrow, Wednesday July 28, beginning at 1:00 p.m. (Eastern time) to explain how enrollment will proceed. Participants can register for the … [Read more...]