Caring Voice Coalition, one of the biggest patient assistance charities in the U.S., may close its doors after the U.S. government revoked a previous positive advisory opinion.
CVC, which is funded almost entirely by drugmakers, helps patients afford expensive drugs by funding health insurance co-payments.
According to a redacted letter from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, the charity gave drugmakers access to data that enabled them to see if their contributions were helping their own customers, which, according to the letter, could potentially give drugmakers “greater ability to raise the prices of their drugs while insulating patients from the immediate out-of-pocket effects,” while Medicare pays for the cost increases.
While Office of Inspector General's advisory opinions are not required, these opinions serve as an unofficial stamp of approval for charities, and without this approval, drugmakers are unlikely to donate.
Read the Bloomberg coverage