The Missouri State Senate passed a bill, June 14, that will forbid drugmakers from restricting the distribution of 340B drugs to contract pharmacies. The bill will either be signed by the governor by July 14, vetoed, or it will become law as of Aug. 28 without his signature, according to a June 14 senate update.
Drugmakers and manufacturers in violation of the requirements will be defined under the terms as "an unlawful merchandising practice, and each package of 340B drugs affected, as defined by federal law, shall constitute a separate violation," according to the bill's summary.
Any company found in violation of the above will be subject to investigation, and possibly disciplinary actions from the Board of Pharmacy.
"We want to stick together, and we do believe that healthcare will be stronger if we stay together as a group and we maintain the 340B program, so it benefits all and that we don’t abuse it," Daniel Good, vice president of pharmacy at a Mercy Health facility in Missouri told KRCU, Southeastern Missouri's NPR station.