Boehringer Ingelheim Is Latest Company to Get HHS Citation for Curtailed 340B Participation
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has sent a letter to Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) Pharmaceuticals, admonishing the company for limiting its participation in the federal 340B Drug Discount Program, which was designed to serve low-income patient populations in the U.S.
In the HHS letter, the Health Resources’ Services Administration (HRSA) said that BI was obligated to offer “without restrictions” its outpatient drugs at or below the 340B ceiling price or face possible fines.
Last May, HRSA sent similar letters to AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi and United Therapeutics, all of which responded by filing lawsuits. The cases were taken up in various federal courts, which rendered different rulings on the matter. HHS appealed decisions issued in three of the federal courts that called into question the agency’s authority to punish drug companies who refuse to participate in the program.
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