Pharma-backed charity sues HHS to help pay for seniors' pricey cancer drugs
A charity backed by a coalition of cancer drug manufacturers wants to provide financial assistance to Medicare Part D patients dealing with expensive cancer drugs. But HHS insists that any monetary help would be a violation of a criminal law that prohibits companies from providing remuneration for inducing the purchase of such drugs.
To fight that decision, the nonprofit charity filed suit on Wednesday in Virginia district court. The suit follows a closely-watched Pfizer court loss in July, where an appeals judge found the Big Pharma cannot help patients with their co-pays for its $225,000 per year heart drug without violating the federal anti-kickback law.
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