July 9, 2010 - U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says the Obama administration will apply $25 million in existing federal funding to shorten waiting lists for drugs for people with HIV or AIDS. Sebelius disclosed the funds transfer in a recent letter to Republican Sens. Richard Burr of North Carolina, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Mike Enzi of … [Read more...]
House Approves AMP Clarification in Supplemental War Funding Bill
Limited inpatient drug discounts and orphan drug "fix" are still up in the air.July 8, 2010 - The U.S. House has passed a supplemental funding bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that includes language to amend the definition of the average manufacturer price (AMP) of drugs that was part of the health care reform bill signed by President Obama in March. The amendment to H.R. 4899, commonly referred to as the war supplemental bill, was transferred … [Read more...]
Medicines Company Offers Retroactive Discounts on Angiomax and Cleviprex
Hospitals, however, are not entirely certain what the rebates cover.July 2, 2010 - Drug manufacturer Medicines Company is inviting 340B covered entities to seek refunds of overcharges on its two marketed drugs, the anti-coagulant Angiomax and the calcium channel blocker Cleviprex, retroactive to the date of the company's entry into the 340B program last December. In a notification to 340B providers on its Web site, the drug company tells … [Read more...]
Senate Democrats Pull the Plug on “Tax Extenders” Bill
Orphan-drug exemption, inpatient drug discount, and AMP revision face uncertain future.June 29, 2010 - Congressional Democrats have abandoned a tax and jobs bill that would have enabled children's hospitals to continue to buy outpatient orphan drugs at their 340B discounted prices and created a discount program for drugs administered or dispensed to hospital inpatients lacking health insurance. The fourth version of the bill, H.R. 4213, also included a … [Read more...]
HRSA’s Patient Safety Initiative Gets a New Funding Source
June 22, 2010 - The Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) drive to integrate evidence-based pharmacy services into care for high-risk, high-cost patients is getting a major boost from one of the public-private partnership's main members. Under the leadership of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation, the groups involved are forming a private, … [Read more...]
OIG Clears Two Charities’ Drug Co-Pay PAPS for Takeoff
Programs would provide cost-sharing aid for a number of diseases and medications.June 22, 2010 - A federal watchdog agency has given two nonprofit groups the all-clear to help poor and underinsured patients with a wide number of diseases or conditions meet their cost-sharing obligations for a number of prescription drugs. In a pair of advisory opinions published in late May and early June, the Department of Health and Human Service's Office of Inspector … [Read more...]
Hoped-for Growth in Bulk Drug Replacement Programs Fails to Materialize
Many firms' compliance requirements are also growing more onerous, hospital pharmacy officials say.A Drug Discount Monitor Special Report Safety Net Hospitals for Pharmaceutical Access Law Fellow Victoria Aufiero contributed to this report. June 22, 2010 - Nearly a year after a federal watchdog agency gave drug companies its blessing to give hospitals free prescription drugs in bulk for low-income uninsured patients without fear of violating anti-fraud rules, some … [Read more...]