California Senate Passes PBM 340B Nondiscrimination Bill

California state capitol
The California Senate unanimous passed a bill to stop PBMs from discriminating against 340B covered entities and their pharmacies.

The California Senate has unanimously passed a bill to stop pharmacy benefit managers from discriminating against 340B covered entities and their pharmacies.

The Senate voted 35-0 on May 22 to pass SB-786, sponsored by Sen. Anthony Portantino (D). A

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PhRMA and Bristol Myers Squibb Sue Separately To Stop Medicare Drug Price Negotiation

US District Court Austin, Texas
PhRMA filed suit in federal district court in Austin, Texas, to strike down legislation letting Medicare negotiate some drug prices.

Drug industry trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and drug manufacturer Bristol Myers Squibb have filed separate federal lawsuits to stop Medicare from negotiating the prices of some drugs, charging that it would impose unconstitutional price controls on

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MedPAC Still Backs Cutting 340B Hospitals’ Part B Drug Payments

Cancer chemotherapy
MedPAC continues to hold that Medicare should pay less for Part B drugs furnished by 340B hospitals.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is sticking by its long-standing recommendation that Medicare should pay less for Part B drugs furnished by 340B hospitals.

“We continue to believe that this approach is appropriate, and the specific level of payment reduction

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First Merck, Now Chamber of Commerce Sues to Stop Medicare Drug Price Negotiation

U.S. Chamber of Commerce
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and local and state chambers have sued to stop Medicare from negotiating "maximum fair prices" on a small number of expensive single-source drugs.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and three state and local affiliates are asking a federal court to strike down the part of the Inflation Reduction Act that lets Medicare negotiate “maximum fair prices” (MFPs) for some expensive, single-source drugs, arguing

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Nonprofit Hospitals’ Profits Are Up But Charity Care Is Not, Study Finds

Health Affairs
"Substantial growth in nonprofit hospital operating profits and cash reserves" yielded no "corresponding increase in charity care," a new study in Health Affairs said. The American Hospital Association strongly criticized the report's methodology and the findings.

Nonprofit hospitals’ profits and cash reserves grew substantially between 2012 and 2019 without a corresponding rise in spending on charity care, a new study in the June issue of Health Affairs found.

The American Hospital Association quickly issued a rebuttal.

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New Studies on 340B and Rural Cancer Care and 340B Contract Pharmacy Demographics

Health Affairs
Rural hospitals that enroll in 340B are more likely than others to initiate oncology services, a new study in Health Affairs found.

Rural hospitals that enroll in the 340B drug pricing program are more likely to initiate oncology services than those that do not participate, a study published online Monday in Health Affairs found.

“It’s estimated that around one in five rural

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New York State Appeals Dismissal of 340B Antitrust Case Against CVS

CVS Pharmacy
New York State has taken its 340B-related state antitrust case against CVS Health to a state appeals court.

New York State is appealing a state trial court’s dismissal of its antitrust case against CVS Health that alleges the pharmacy giant unlawfully forces 340B covered entities to use its 340B third party administrator Wellpartner in order to contract with

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Massachusetts 340B Nondiscrimination Bills Would Restore Program’s Intent, Sponsor Says

Massachusetts state Sen. Pavel Payano
Massachusetts state Sen. Pavel Payano

Companion bills in the Massachusetts House and Senate would restore the 340B program’s intent by stopping pharmacy benefit manager discrimination against any 340B covered entities and their contract pharmacies, the sponsor of the state Senate bill said during a recent

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340B Providers Don’t Systematically Over-Prescribe Brand Drugs for Profit, JAMA Study Says

JAMA
Research published in JAMA "found no meaningful difference in overall generic prescribing rates" between 340B and non-340B providers.

340B-eligible providers prescribe generic drugs at the same overall rate as non-340B providers, a study published in JAMA Health Forum found. “We found no evidence that 340B-eligible prescribers were systematically overprescribing brand-name drugs to generate revenue,” the authors said.

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Arkansas 340B Contract Pharmacy Law Trespasses on Federal “Closed System,” PhRMA Tells Court

PhRMA v. McClain
Arkansas' 340B contract pharmacy law has no place in the federal 340B “closed system,” PhRMA told a federal appeals court.

Arkansas’ 340B contract pharmacy law, for now the only state law of its kind, has no place in the federal 340B “closed system,” Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) recently told a federal appeals court.

“340B is a closed

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