AHA expresses concern about 340B changes under consideration by Congress

The AHA is concerned about provisions that were included in draft legislation that would have made significant changes to the 340B Drug Pricing Program, AHA Executive Vice President Rick Pollack said in comments submitted last night to leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “While the AHA appreciates the committee’s attempts to address the administration of the 340B program, we are concerned that the committee is choosing to legislate important changes to the 340B program at a time when release of long-awaited regulatory guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services is imminent,” Pollack wrote. The AHA expressed concern with a number of provisions that were included in a discussion draft on the 21st Century Cures Act that would have added requirements and regulatory burden to 340B hospitals. The AHA also urged the committee to strike a better balance between requirements imposed on hospitals and pharmaceutical manufacturers. “Given the increasingly high cost of pharmaceuticals, the 340B program provides critical support to help hospitals’ efforts to serve the most disadvantaged in our society and build healthy communities,” Pollack wrote. The 340B provisions were not included in the bill that was released earlier today.