25th DRUGMAKER TO IMPOSE 340B RESTRICTIONS ON HOSPITALS AND PHARMACY PARTNERS
WASHINGTON, D.C. SEPT. 11, 2023— Jazz Pharmaceuticals announced that it will stop facilitating orders of its childhood epilepsy drug Epidiolex (cannabidiol) to community and specialty pharmacies when purchased at the 340B price. This will make Jazz the 25th drugmaker to impose 340B pricing restrictions on safety-net hospitals through pharmacy partnerships. Many of the previous 24 drug companies initially restricted specific products but since have expanded these restrictions to more comprehensive lists of drugs.
The following statement is attributed to 340B Health President and CEO Maureen Testoni:
“We are disappointed with big pharma companies that continue to evade their legal obligations by limiting access to vital discounts on life-saving medications. Jazz’s actions display a complete disregard for patients in need and the safety-net hospitals that serve them. It is unconscionable for this company to shut off 340B hospitals’ access to discounted Epidiolex — a $32,000-a-year treatment — for children suffering from rare and severe forms of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, and Dravet syndrome that typically appear during the first years of life.”
“It is important to recognize that 340B hospitals provide 77% of Medicaid care and 67% of the nation’s unpaid hospital care, making it an indispensable resource for America’s most vulnerable patients and the entire health care safety net. As we await decisions from two federal appeals courts, we remain steadfast in our advocacy for the protection of 340B and urge the Biden administration to vigorously defend the 340B law.”
The drugmakers with 340B pricing restrictions are AbbVie, Amgen, Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bausch Health, Bayer, Biogen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, EMD Serono, Exelixis, Gilead, GlaxoSmithKline, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Organon, Pfizer, Sanofi, Teva, UCB, and United Therapeutics.
Contact: Jon Tilton at jon.tilton@340bhealth.org or 202-536-2285