ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced Monday she has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the drug manufacturer Eli Lilly.
The attorney general’s office says Eli Lilly has been imposing unlawful conditions on hospitals participating in the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program. Hanaway says Eli Lily created a policy that required hospitals to give them extensive and sensitive claims data to get cheaper medication.
The attorney general says that this policy effectively cut off the discounts for these facilities.
“Big Pharma does not get to bully Missouri hospitals or hold prescription drug prices hostage,” General Hanaway said. “Eli Lilly is abusing its market power to impose higher prescription prices in Missouri. These tactics fall hardest on rural communities that depend on the 340B program to keep clinics open and ensure patients receive the care they need.”
According to the attorney general’s office, University of Missouri Health Care (MU Health Care) had refused to comply with turning over the claims data, which led to Eli Lilly cutting the health care system off from the 340B pricing in July. Hanaway says MU Health agreed to temporarily give the data to prevent further harm to patients and stop financial losses.
Hanaway says Missouri’s rural hospitals rely heavily on the 340B program. Anyone who believes they have been impacted by unfair pharmaceutical practices is asked to file a complaint on the Missouri Attorney General’s website.
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