Legislation proposing transparency and oversight of the 340B drug discount program was passed May 17 by the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health. The bill, H.R. 3290, will now advance to the full Energy and Commerce Committee.
The amended legislation seeks to enforce new reporting requirements on providers participating in the 340B drug pricing program, which has been in place since 1992 to allow "qualifying hospitals and clinics that treat low-income and uninsured patients to buy outpatient prescription drugs at a discount of 25 percent to 50 percent," according to The Commonwealth Fund.
But opponents to the legislation say it will not provide more transparency, but rather the new regulations "are unnecessary and burdensome" and "will not paint an accurate picture of the many ways 340B savings help safety-net hospitals care for patients with low-incomes and rural communities," Maureen Testoni, president and CEO of 340B Health said in a statement.
The passage of the legislation comes after nearly a year of a growing number of drugmakers tightening restrictions on 340B discounts — something that has led nearly 67 percent of the hospitals to report adverse patient outcomes due to "delayed access or logistical difficulties in obtaining their medications," since the restrictions began, a March report published by 340B Health found.
Editor's note: This article was updated at 9:05 a.m. CDT May 18 to correct information about where the bill will head next now that it passed in the subcommittee.