Mississippi Judge Upholds State Law Mandating Drug Discounts for Low-Income Patients
Mississippi Judge Upholds State Law Mandating Drug Discounts for Low-Income Patients
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.
據報道，密西西比州的一位聯邦法官週二維持了一項州法，該法規定製藥公司必須提供給第三方藥店的藥品享有價格折扣，這些藥店受託於爲低收入群體服務的醫院和診所。
U.S. District Judge denied preliminary injunctions in lawsuits filed by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS).
美國地區法官拒絕了製藥研究和製造商協會（PhRMA）和諾華製藥股份有限公司（紐交所：NVS）提起的訴訟的初步禁令。
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此外，分析師預計，沃爾格林-聯合博姿（Walgreens Boots Alliance）預計會關閉25%的門店，但對財務收益的影響要到明年才會顯現。
These lawsuits are part of a broader legal battle, with similar cases pending in Maryland and West Virginia.
這些訴訟是更廣泛的法律鬥爭的一部分，在馬里蘭州和西弗吉尼亞州等地還有類似的案件。
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.
法官認爲，製藥研究和製造商協會以及諾華製藥公司不太可能成功地聲稱該州法與對340B計劃進行監管的聯邦法規存在衝突。
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計劃要求製藥公司向接受來自政府醫保計劃（如醫療保險和醫療補助）資金的爲低收入患者服務的醫院和診所提供折扣。
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，該法律可能支持340B計劃的目標，即確保患者能夠輕鬆地獲得他們所需的藥品。
Novartis expressed disagreement with the decision and announced plans to appeal, Reuters noted.
路透社指出，諾華表示不同意這一決定，並宣佈計劃上訴。
Many providers eligible for the 340B program utilize contract pharmacies to dispense prescription drugs, avoiding the need to maintain in-house pharmacies.
許多符合340B計劃資格的提供者利用合同藥房來分發處方藥，以避免需要維護內部藥房。
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.
美國衛生和公衆服務部於2010年更新了其指導方針，允許340B提供者使用無限數量的合同藥房，取代了以前每個提供者只能有一個這樣的藥房的限制。
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.
製藥公司長期以來一直爭論，在340B計劃中廣泛使用合同藥房會導致透明度降低，並增加同一種藥品免費或重複折扣的風險。
In 2020, several drugmakers began imposing restrictions on 340B drug sales via contract pharmacies.
在2020年，幾家製藥公司開始對通過合同藥房銷售340B時的藥品進行限制。
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，諾華將其交易限制在距離340B提供者40英里範圍內的合同藥房內，而其他公司則實施了各種其他限制。
Previously, pharmaceutical companies had successfully challenged federal guidelines that mandated compliance with contract pharmacies under the 340B program.
此前，製藥公司曾成功挑戰了旨在在340B計劃下強制執行合同藥房合規性的聯邦指導方針。
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.
在這些勝訴之後，馬里蘭州、西弗吉尼亞州、密西西比州、堪薩斯州和路易斯安那州等州通過了法律，要求製藥公司提供合同藥房所銷售的藥品優惠。
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
免責聲明：本文部分內容使用了Benzinga Neuro的幫助。此內容是通過AI工具部分製作的，並由Benzinga編輯進行了審查和發佈。
Image credit: Dall-E 3
圖片來源:Dall-E 3