Tampa General Hospital has sued Eli Lilly, alleging the drugmaker unlawfully cut off discounts under the federal 340B drug pricing program after the hospital refused to provide newly required prescription-level claims data through Lilly’s reporting platform.
Because of the new requirement, Tampa General alleges Lilly is engaging in “exploitation of safety-net hospitals” and “abuse of market power” while “lining its pockets with illegal profits on drug sales allocated to the needy,” according to the complaint.
The lawsuit, filed July 2 in U.S. District Court in Tampa, claims TGH now pays 25% to 50% more on average for Eli Lilly medications, with some costing substantially more. The hospital says the higher costs could total tens of millions of dollars annually and have already affected some patients’ access to medications…