We thank the members of Congress from both sides of the aisle who advocated for this crucial clarification.

We are also pleased that Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), in a statement yesterday, said it did not oppose restoring children's hospitals' access to reduced prices on these drugs.

In addition to ending the ban for children's hospitals, the law that Congress passed today makes clear that such hospitals are entitled to retroactive relief if they were denied discounts.

"While we welcome this development, SNHPA urges Congress to extend these discounts to rural and free-standing cancer hospitals that gained eligibility for 340B under health care reform," said SNHPA Executive Director Ted Slafsky. "These institutions also spend a significant portion of their drug budget on these therapies. It is imperative that they be able to access affordable medications for their patients."

Several manufacturers recently began denying 340B pricing on orphan drugs to these institutions and children's hospitals as well. SNHPA has asked these companies to resume the discounts pending guidance from federal health officials, which we have been told is forthcoming.

We will continue to work with rural and cancer hospitals and our congressional allies to lift the orphan drug ban for these institutions.