Mississippi Judge Upholds State Law Mandating Drug Discounts for Low-Income Patients
Mississippi Judge Upholds State Law Mandating Drug Discounts for Low-Income Patients
These lawsuits are part of a broader legal battle, with similar cases pending in Maryland and West Virginia.On Tuesday, a federal judge in Mississippi reportedly upheld a state law mandating drugmakers to provide discounts on medications dispensed by third-party pharmacies contracting with hospitals and clinics serving low-income populations.
据报道，密西西比州的一位联邦法官周二维持了一项州法，该法规定制药公司必须提供给第三方药店的药品享有价格折扣，这些药店受托于为低收入群体服务的医院和诊所。
U.S. District Judge denied preliminary injunctions in lawsuits filed by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS).
美国地区法官拒绝了制药研究和制造商协会（PhRMA）和诺华制药股份有限公司（纽交所：NVS）提起的诉讼的初步禁令。
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These lawsuits are part of a broader legal battle, with similar cases pending in Maryland and West Virginia.
这些诉讼是更广泛的法律斗争的一部分，在马里兰州和西弗吉尼亚州等地还有类似的案件。
The judge found that PhRMA and Novartis were unlikely to succeed in their claim that the state law conflicts with federal regulations governing the 340B program.
法官认为，制药研究和制造商协会以及诺华制药公司不太可能成功地声称该州法与对340B计划进行监管的联邦法规存在冲突。
The 340B program requires pharmaceutical companies to offer discounts to hospitals and clinics that serve low-income patients in exchange for receiving funds from government health insurance programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
340B计划要求制药公司向接受来自政府医保计划（如医疗保险和医疗补助）资金的为低收入患者服务的医院和诊所提供折扣。
Judge Ozerden stated that the law might support the 340B program's goal of ensuring patients can easily access their medications.
Ozerden法官表示，该法律可能支持340B计划的目标，即确保患者能够轻松地获得他们所需的药品。
Novartis expressed disagreement with the decision and announced plans to appeal, Reuters noted.
路透社指出，诺华表示不同意这一决定，并宣布计划上诉。
Many providers eligible for the 340B program utilize contract pharmacies to dispense prescription drugs, avoiding the need to maintain in-house pharmacies.
许多符合340B计划资格的提供者利用合同药房来分发处方药，以避免需要维护内部药房。
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services updated its guidance in 2010, allowing 340B providers to use an unlimited number of contract pharmacies, which replaced the earlier limit of one such pharmacy per provider.
美国卫生和公众服务部于2010年更新了其指导方针，允许340B提供者使用无限数量的合同药房，取代了以前每个提供者只能有一个这样的药房的限制。
Drug manufacturers have long argued that the extensive use of contract pharmacies within the 340B program results in reduced transparency and increases the risk of improper discounts or duplicate discounts on the same drug.
制药公司长期以来一直争论，在340B计划中广泛使用合同药房会导致透明度降低，并增加同一种药品免费或重复折扣的风险。
In 2020, several drugmakers began imposing restrictions on 340B drug sales via contract pharmacies.
在2020年，几家制药公司开始对通过合同药房销售340B时的药品进行限制。
Novartis, for instance, limited its dealings to contract pharmacies within a 40-mile radius of a 340B provider, while other companies implemented various other restrictions.
例如，诺华将其交易限制在距离340B提供者40英里范围内的合同药房内，而其他公司则实施了各种其他限制。
Previously, pharmaceutical companies had successfully challenged federal guidelines that mandated compliance with contract pharmacies under the 340B program.
此前，制药公司曾成功挑战了旨在在340B计划下强制执行合同药房合规性的联邦指导方针。
Following these legal victories, states such as Maryland, West Virginia, Mississippi, Kansas, and Louisiana enacted laws requiring drugmakers to provide 340B discounts on drugs dispensed by contract pharmacies.
在这些胜诉之后，马里兰州、西弗吉尼亚州、密西西比州、堪萨斯州和路易斯安那州等州通过了法律，要求制药公司提供合同药房所销售的药品优惠。
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Image credit: Dall-E 3
图片来源:Dall-E 3
