On November 12, 2024, the drug manufacturer Johnson & Johnson (J&J) filed a lawsuit against the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The lawsuit relates to J&J’s proposal to require certain 340B covered entities – specifically, disproportionate share hospitals (DSH) – that purchase J&J’s drugs Stelara and Xarelto under the 340B Drug Pricing Program to do so under a rebate model. J&J is challenging HRSA’s threatened enforcement action against the drug maker.

On September 26, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a final rule implementing changes to the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program (MDRP). While not the focus of the agency’s rulemaking, stakeholders used the opportunity to comment on the proposed rule to air concerns and grievances related to the 340B Drug Pricing Program (340B Program). Although CMS acknowledged the flood of 340B Program comments, the agency ultimately punted on responding to stakeholders because the comments were outside the scope of the rulemaking. The response from CMS is understandable, but the numerous comments from stakeholders add to the growing calls for additional guidance and improvements to the 340B Program.

As we enter into the final months of 2024, new developments in the administration of the 340B Drug Pricing Program signal that additional reform may be on the way. Although recent revisions to the 340B program’s administrative dispute resolution (ADR) process represented a positive development in program reform, many questions remain as to how the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) along with Congress may resolve stakeholder concerns with the drug pricing program’s future.

In ‘Third Edition: Q2 2024’ of the Mintz IRA Update, we cover updates to the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program being considered by CMS, developments in litigation challenging the program, the consequences and costs of redesigning the Part D program, opposition to the use of march-in rights to lower drug prices, and the growing use of state prescription drug affordability boards.

On April 18, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) released a new Final Rule for its oft-criticized 340B Administrative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Program (2024 Final Rule).

Mintz is pleased to present its quarterly publication, PBM Policy and Legislative Update. This edition builds upon prior issues and summarizes activity from October through December 2023 that affects the PBM industry and will specifically highlight (i) federal legislative and enforcement updates, (ii) state legislative updates and litigation, (iii) other industry news, and (iv) Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) updates.

The government’s continued dedication of resources to investigating and prosecuting fraud against COVID-19 pandemic relief programs appears to have borne fruit according to the results of the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force’s (CFETF) report released on April 9, 2024. The CFETF, which represents a concerted effort across numerous federal agencies to investigate pandemic-related fraud, has, according to its 2024 report, succeeded in prosecuting over 3,500 defendants in criminal enforcement matters, in bringing civil enforcement actions resulting in more than 400 civil settlements and judgments, and in securing more than $1.4 billion in seizures and forfeitures. The report itself is a showcase of the CFETF’s COVID-19 fraud enforcement efforts to date.

Read about the Biden administration’s backing of draft guidance to government agencies weighing the enforcement of march-in rights, which can allow federal agencies to require patent licenses to be given to third parties if a product was developed or conceived with federal funding assistance.

In this edition of the Mintz IRA Update, we cover the status of the negotiations underway between CMS and manufacturers pursuant to the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program and current legal challenges to the program, other drug pricing–related IRA initiatives, the IRA’s small biotech exemption, implications associated with removing the average manufacturer price cap on Medicaid rebates, and the Biden administration’s proposed draft guidance on patent “march-in” rights.