AHA urges Congress to pass CREATES Act, protect 340B program

AHA today urged Congress and the administration to take immediate action to rein in the rising cost of drugs, including passing the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples Act and H.R. 4392. “Spending on pharmaceuticals has increased dramatically over the past several years, and the primary driver is higher prices,” AHA Executive Vice President Tom Nickels told the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee at a hearing examining how the drug supply chain affects pharmaceutical costs, access and delivery. The CREATES Act would allow generic drug manufacturers facing certain anticompetitive delay tactics to bring an action in federal court for injunctive relief, while H.R. 4392 would prevent the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from reducing Medicare payments for hospital outpatient drugs under the 340B drug savings program by nearly 30% effective Jan. 1. “The 340B program permits safety-net hospitals that care for communities with a high number of low-income and uninsured patients to stretch scarce federal resources as far as possible, reaching more eligible patients and providing more comprehensive service,” Nickels told the committee.