AstraZeneca Fails in Bid to Halt Hawaii 340B Drug Delivery Law

AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, for now, must abide by a Hawaii law that requires it to deliver discounted drugs to pharmacies contracted to serve low-income individuals.

Federal law doesn’t clearly preempt Hawaii’s Act 143, which prohibits drugmakers from imposing delivery restrictions on discounted drugs covered by the federal government’s 340B pricing program, the US District Court for the District of Hawaii said Monday. AstraZeneca didn’t show it was likely to win on its argument that the state law conflicts with the federal drug-pricing program because Act 143 deals only with shipping and delivery—a matter not covered by the federal law, ...