STAT+: Sales from controversial U.S. drug discount program rose to $100 billion last year — SkimNews
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- 340B Drug Discount Program sales reached $100 billion in 2025, a 22.8% increase from the prior year, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration
- Expensive medicines accounted for $61.9 billion — nearly 62% of all prescription drugs purchased through the program
- Merck's Keytruda immunotherapy was the top-selling drug in the program at nearly $8.9 billion
- Gilead Sciences' Biktarvy, an HIV treatment, was the second-highest at more than $4.47 billion
- The 340B program requires drugmakers to offer discounts typically estimated at 25% to 50% — but potentially higher — on all outpatient drugs to hospitals and clinics that primarily serve lower-income patients
- HRSA oversees the program, and the new data reflect a steady multi-year rise in sales
Why it matters: The 340B program's sales surged 22.8% to $100 billion in 2025, with expensive medicines now nearly 62% of that total. Drugmakers must offer 25–50% discounts on all outpatient drugs to safety-net hospitals, and blockbuster drugs like Keytruda and Biktarvy are concentrating the program's financial impact on a handful of high-cost therapies.
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