Community Access National Network Tackles Challenges Facing the 340B Drug Pricing Program

    WASHINGTON, DC, April 18, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Community Access National Network, otherwise known as CANN, today appointed a national commission to take a thorough and candid review of the 340B Drug Pricing Program (hereafter referred to as 340B Program), and make specific recommendations to Congress on how and in what ways the program should be strengthened. In this effort to address the myriad of issues confronting the 340B Program and bring a reasoned strategy to the forefront, CANN's President & CEO, William E. Arnold will co-chair the commission, along with Jeffrey R. Lewis, President & CEO of the Legacy Health Endowment (LHE) based in Turlock, California.

The 340B Program is a federal program that allows specific categories of covered entities including some hospitals, clinics, hemophiliac programs, Ryan White clinics, State AIDS Drug Assistance programs, and other eligible health centers to obtain outpatient prescription drugs at discounted prices. Drug prices under the 340B Program are generally less than the net cost of drugs paid by state Medicaid programs.

Stakeholders and policymakers at the federal and state levels of government have been grappling with the intended purpose and appropriate scope of the 340B Program since its inception in 1992. The program was originally designed to correct an unintended consequence of the 1990 Medicaid prescription drug rebate program that resulted in higher drug prices for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and safety-net providers. Some lawmakers involved in the design of 340B Program had hoped that lower drug prices would help covered entities to stretch scarce federal resources as far as possible, reaching more eligible patients and providing more comprehensive services.

"The 340B program has brought great value to covered entities and helped millions of Americans access affordable medications," said Jeffrey R. Lewis. "To ensure its long-term effectiveness and viability, the Commission will examine all aspects of the program to make specific recommendations to Congress on how the program could be the most impactful today and tomorrow while recognizing its original purpose."

William E. Arnold echoed, "In general, I have watched the growth of the 340B Program since its inception and more specifically observed many Ryan White clinics leverage the program to serve their clients living with HIV/AIDS. We have a responsibility to ensure the program with improved patient outcomes serves the maximum number of people. Programmatic transparency must include clear reporting requirements to ensure 340B-related funds are used for the populations and localities Congress specifies."

With solid backgrounds in the world of the 340B Program, Co-Chairmen Arnold and Lewis expect the work of the Commission to start in May 2018 and to be completed during Summer 2018. The Commission will issue a report and specific recommendations to Congress after Labor Day.

340B Commission members include:

• William Arnold, Commission Co-Chair, President & CEO of the Community Access National Network (Washington, DC)
• Jeffrey Lewis, Commission Co-Chair, President & CEO of the Legacy Health Endowment (Turlock CA)
• Steve Adams, former Colorado AFL-CIO President (Denver, CO)
• The Honorable Donna Christensen, retired Member of Congress (U.S. Virgin Islands)
• Edward Hamilton, Executive Director & Founder of the Ohio ADAP Educational Initiative (Columbus, OH)
• Jacki Leifer, Partner at Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell, LLP (Washington, DC)
• Brandon Macsata, CEO of the ADAP Advocacy Association (Raleigh, NC)
• Leslie McGowan, CEO of Livingston Community Health (Livingston, CA) – a federally qualified health center
• Mike Wright, Co-Founder of WellPartnerPBM, retired (Portland, OR)
• Diane Nugent, M.D., Chief of Hematology, Department of Pediatrics at the UC Irvine Medical School and Founder & President of the Center for Inherited Blood Disorders (Santa Ana, CA)

To learn more about the Community Access National Network or the newly appointed 340B Commission, please visit http://tiicann.org.

For general information, please contact CANN at [email protected].

About the Community Access National Network: The mission of the Community Access National Network (CANN) is to define, promote, and improve access to healthcare services and supports for people living with HIV/AIDS and/or Viral Hepatitis through advocacy, education, and networking. These services must be affordable to the people who need them regardless of insurance status, income, or geographic location.

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