AbbVie, Novartis Win Block of Oklahoma Drug Discount Law

Pharmaceutical giants AbbVie, Novartis, and AstraZeneca succeeded in their efforts to temporarily block Oklahoma from enforcing a law requiring drugmakers to offer steeply discounted medicines to an unlimited number of pharmacies.

Judge Patrick Wyrick of the US District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma on Oct. 31 approved the drugmakers’ motions to preliminarily enjoin key 340B provisions in state law (H.B. 2048). The drugmakers filed the motions in three separate but similar cases.

The law seeks to outlaw any effort to deny, restrict, or prohibit drug discounts to pharmacies that contract with providers in the ...