On September 14, Representatives David McKinley (R-WV), Diane DeGette (D-CO), Greg Gianforte (R-MT), Peter Welch (D-VT), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), and Doris Matsui (D-CA) circulated a “Dear Colleague” letter in the House to protect the 340B program.
The letter (attached), which received 246 signatures, urges Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar to stop pharmaceutical companies from denying or limiting the distribution of certain 340B drugs to hospitals and health systems. The letter was written in response to several drug companies that recently announced they will no longer charge the 340B discount price for some or all of their drugs when the drugs are dispensed by community-based pharmacies—which is a violation of 340B statutory requirements. Other manufacturers have sent requests to covered entities demanding claims data that go beyond the scope of the 340B statute.
GNYHA advocated for this letter on Capitol Hill. We thank our members for their outreach to their elected representatives on the 340B issue.