AHA statement on HRSA ordering drug companies to restore 340B discounts

Rick Pollack
President and CEO
American Hospital Association

May 17, 2021

We commend the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for responding to the deep concerns of 340B hospitals and the AHA by taking the decisive action we’ve called for against drug companies that skirt the law by limiting the distribution of certain 340B drugs through community pharmacies. These concerns led us to file a lawsuit late last year to require HHS to stop these illegal actions from drug companies and protect vulnerable patients and communities and to participate in other cases challenging the program. We continue to urge HRSA to ensure that the drug companies that denied appropriate discounts since these illegal practices began last year make the impacted hospitals whole for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve.  

In an era of skyrocketing drug prices, the 340B program plays a critical role in helping eligible hospitals provide a wide range of comprehensive services and low-cost drugs to vulnerable patients and communities, many of which have been the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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 Contact:        Colin Milligan, (202) 638-5491, cmilligan@aha.org
                      Marie Johnson, (202) 626-2351, mjohnson@aha.org