Orphan Drug Discounts Ended for Children’s Hospitals - NYTimes.com
From left, J.B. Reed/Bloomberg; Luke Macgregor/Reuters; Mark Schiefelbein for The New York Times
Children’s hospitals have been told by drug companies that they will no longer get discounts for medications, like the cancer drugs above, that are known as “orphan drugs.” The change is an unintended consequence of the new health law, and it is costing hospitals millions of dollars.
By ROBERT PEAR
Published: December 7, 2010
WASHINGTON — In an unintended consequence of the new health care law, drug companies have begun notifying children’s hospitals around the country that they no longer qualify for large discounts on drugs used to treat rare medical conditions.