In a series of recent legal challenges initiated by the pharmaceutical industry against the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (OIG), manufacturers have contested the OIG’s...more
With 2025 underway, the AFS Health Care team highlights some of the most pressing legal issues facing the health care industry this year....more
In 2021, we provided an overview of multiple federal lawsuits challenging the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) enforcement of the 340B Drug Pricing...more
In 2021, we provided an overview of multiple federal lawsuits challenging the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) enforcement of the 340B Drug Pricing...more
6/27/2024
/ Covered Entities ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Enforcement ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
HRSA ,
Interstate Commerce ,
Manufacturers ,
Medicaid ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
PHRMA ,
Section 340B
Disputes between 340B Drug Pricing Program-covered entities and the drug manufacturers required to sell outpatient drugs to those entities at discounted prices will be governed by an alternative dispute resolution (ADR)...more
5/15/2024
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Covered Entities ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure ,
Federal Rules of Evidence ,
Final Rules ,
HRSA ,
Manufacturers ,
Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA) ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Section 340B
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued guidance on the pharmaceutical excise tax that may apply to certain drug manufacturers, producers, and importers that fail to negotiate a drug-pricing agreement with the US...more
With the new year underway, the ArentFox Schiff Health Care team highlights 10 of the most pressing legal issues facing the industry in 2023.
End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. After being in effect for more than...more
2/17/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Healthcare ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
No Surprises Act (NSA) ,
Popular ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Roe v Wade ,
SCOTUS ,
Telehealth
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) continue to issue guidance regarding the implementation of the drug pricing provisions of...more
After many years of policy debate and attempts at proposed legislation, some of the most meaningful changes to the ways in which Medicare pays for prescription drugs – and the obligations of manufacturers selling drugs to...more
8/23/2022
/ Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) ,
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Biosimilars ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Final Rules ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Medicaid Drug Rebate Program ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part B ,
Medicare Part D ,
New Legislation ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Section 340B
Proposed Rules Seek to Repeal Multiple Trump Era Regulations That Received Prior Industry Scrutiny -
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – still within its first full year under the direction...more
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) – a leading lobbying and advocacy group for drug manufacturers – has released an updated version of its “Code on Interactions with Health Care Professionals”...more
The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case that has a direct impact on the 340B Drug Discount Program (the 340B Program) and how Medicare will reimburse hospitals for dispensing of 340B covered drugs, as well...more
In July 2020, the Trump Administration issued an Executive Order (the EO) directing the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take certain actions and finalize rulemakings designed to “support the...more
6/14/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Canada ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Secretary of HHS ,
Standing ,
Subject Matter Jurisdiction
Congress recently passed two bills that are designed to educate patients and prescribers about biosimilars and thereby encourage their use and to close a loophole in existing law that allows certain branded drugs to retain...more
Click the link below for our complete analysis of recent updates to the Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute and their impact on health care providers.
...more
3/3/2021
/ 21st Century Cures Act ,
Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Bonuses ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Commercially Reasonable Efforts ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Fair Market Value ,
Final Rules ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Medicare Part D ,
OIG ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Profit Sharing ,
Safe Harbors ,
Stark Law ,
Value-Based Care
With the change of administrations typically comes a flurry of activity across all government agencies, and the same can be expected with the official start of the Biden Administration now well underway. What should...more
2/1/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Final Rules ,
Government Agencies ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part D ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Proposed Rules ,
Reimbursements
Final Rule largely tracks prior proposal to make significant changes to the Discount Safe Harbor and other regulatory safe harbors to the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute.
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of...more
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (OIG) published a Special Fraud Alert on November 16, 2020 (the Alert) regarding a common practice within the pharmaceutical and medical device...more
11/18/2020
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Fraud ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medicaid ,
Medical Devices ,
Medicare ,
OIG ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Remuneration ,
Speaker Programs ,
TRICARE
Three organizations serving primarily HIV and AIDS patients and who each are also considered “Covered Entities” under the 340B Drug Pricing Program (the Plaintiffs) filed a lawsuit against Department of Health and Human...more
10/16/2020
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
AIDS ,
Covered Entities ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Drug Pricing ,
HIV ,
HRSA ,
New Regulations ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacies ,
Section 340B
The White House released a new Executive Order on September 13, 2020, related to drug prices titled “Lowering Drug Prices by Putting America First” the September Order), whose stated purpose is to address reimbursement for...more
9/17/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Executive Orders ,
Medicare Part B ,
Medicare Part D ,
Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act (MMA) ,
Mitigation ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Secretary of HHS ,
Trump Administration
In a move with far reaching implications for the health care industry, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released a proposed rule that would codify into regulation specific requirements that it and...more
Members of the industry should be on the lookout for proposed rules related to this Order and take advantage of all public comment periods.
The White House issued an executive order “Ensuring Essential Medicines, Medical...more
The White House released three Executive Orders on July 24, 2020 setting forth policies that the Administration believes will “deliver lower prescription drug prices to American patients.” A fourth Executive Order tying...more
7/31/2020
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Executive Orders ,
FQHC ,
Medicare Part B ,
Medicare Part D ,
OIG ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Public Safety ,
Safe Harbors
A HHS Final Rule for Exchange plans states that coupons and copay cards offered directly by drug manufacturers can be counted towards a patient’s annual cost-sharing limit.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)...more
In what has been considered a huge win for community pharmacists, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the General Counsel (OGC) issued an Advisory Opinion on May 19, 2020.
The Advisory...more