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Hemophilia Groups Protest BCBS of Tennessee Formulary ExclusionsThe patient groups say the insurer is cutting off access to important medications. The Tennessee Blues plans say many of the drugs that it excluded from coverage have zero utilization.
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Drugs and Older Age: An Increasingly Deadly CombinationTwo reports show that drug-related deaths are skyrocketing among people 65 years and older.
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ICER Gives NASH Drug Resmetirom High Marks, Obeticholic Acid Not So MuchAt a placeholder price of $19,000, resmetirom would produce cost savings, says the drug evaluation group. Obeticholic acid’s price would need to be slashed to meet a commonly used cost-effectiveness threshold.
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Amazon to Offer Pharma Company Coupons on Branded DrugsThe new feature automatically applies manufacturer-sponsored coupons directly to an eligible patient’s order. So far, just a few pharma companies have made their coupons available through Amazon.
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California Sues Drug Makers, PBMs Over Rising Prices for InsulinLawsuit accuses the companies of using unlawful, unfair, and deceptive practices.
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Antimicrobial stewardship programs-A review for the formulary decision-makerAntimicrobial stewardship programs are being implemented in a variety of settings to assist with the challenges associated with the management of infectious diseases. Here's a review of ASPs from the perspective of a formulary decision-maker.
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GlaxoSmithKline Halts RSV Vaccine Trials in Pregnant WomenThe setback for GlaxoSmithKline comes amid a multicompany race to develop a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus infections.
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Up, Up and Not Going Away: Cancer Drug PricesEscalating costs are hitting patients hard. CMS price negotiation and the $2,000 cap on Part D out-of-pocket expenses should benefit many patients with Medicare coverage.
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Hyrimoz, a High-Concentration Humira Biosimilar, Approved by FDASandoz will now launch both high-concentration and low-concentration versions of Hyrimoz (adalimumab-adaz) in July.
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Second mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine in Primary Series Can Be Extended to 8 Weeks for Some IndividualsThis guidance discusses that individuals 12 years and older can receive the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine 3-8 weeks after the first. Additionally, the interval for those 18 years and older for Moderna is 4-8 weeks.
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FDA Accepts BLA for Lifileucel for Difficult-to-Treat MelanomaLifileucel is a polyclonal tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy designed for patients with advanced melanoma who have experienced progression after previous treatment with anti-PD-1/L1 therapy and targeted therapy.
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Patients Often Lose in the Battle between Pharma and PBMsOver the last five years, both PBMs and drug manufacturers have implemented restrictions that put more of the costs for specialty medications on patients.
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Inflation Reduction Act and the Impact on Pharmaceutical Pricing and Investment DecisionsThe reference to “maximum fair price” in the act bodes poorly for manufacturers and suggests more of a take-it-or-leave-it situation rather than a negotiation where clinical evidence would be the prevailing factor in determining price.
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Antimicrobial stewardship programs-A review for the formulary decision-makerAntimicrobial stewardship programs are being implemented in a variety of settings to assist with the challenges associated with the management of infectious diseases. Here's a review of ASPs from the perspective of a formulary decision-maker.
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Out-of-Pocket Costs Impact Medication Access for Some Medicare Beneficiaries with SchizophreniaLow-income subsidies can eliminate much of the out-of-pocket costs that patients must pay.
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Best Read Articles on Safety Issues and Recalls in 2021News about counterfeit versions of Biktarvy (bictegravir, emtricitabine, tenofovir alafenamide) and Descovy (emtricitabine, tenofovir alafemamide) and the pause in the REMS program for clozapine were among the best read articles of 2021.
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First Interchangeable Biosimilar to Humira Gets Approval for Pen FormThe Cyltezo Pen is scheduled to be on the market and available on July 1.
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Overactive bladder drug not linked to CV eventsPatients with overactive bladder taking this OAB drug did not experience an excess risk of CV events compared with other treatments.
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FDA reviewing safety of Parkinson’s drugFDA is re-examining the safety of a breakthrough Parkinson’s disease drug after reports of hundreds of deaths.
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Wide geographic differences exist in treating diabetesA large-scale observational study led by Columbia University researchers may offer new approach to studying diverse patient groups.
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Popular insulin meets target in real-world studyNovo Nordisk’s DEVOTE study reveals interesting findings.
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Experience Brief: Desert Hospital Outpatient Pharmacy partnering with hospital to reduce readmissions among CHF patientsDesert Hospital Outpatient Pharmacy is an independent pharmacy inside Desert Regional Medical Center, a 387-bed tertiary acute care hospital located in Palm Springs, California. Desert Regional Medical Center, which has attained the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for its congestive heart failure program, has reduced readmission rates by 17% among congestive heart failure (CHF) patients through a close partnership with Desert Hospital Outpatient Pharmacy.
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Pharmacologic treatment of prostate cancerProstate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer, aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, in men in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 233,000 new cases of prostate cancer and an estimated 29,480 deaths from prostate cancer will have occurred in the United States during 2014. About 60% of all prostate cancer cases are diagnosed in men aged 65 years and older, and 97% of cases occur in men aged 50 and older. The incidence of prostate cancer is 60% higher in African Americans than in whites.
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Pharmacologic treatment of prostate cancerProstate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer, aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, in men in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 233,000 new cases of prostate cancer and an estimated 29,480 deaths from prostate cancer will have occurred in the United States during 2014. About 60% of all prostate cancer cases are diagnosed in men aged 65 years and older, and 97% of cases occur in men aged 50 and older. The incidence of prostate cancer is 60% higher in African Americans than in whites.
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Pharmacologic treatment of prostate cancerProstate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer, aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, in men in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 233,000 new cases of prostate cancer and an estimated 29,480 deaths from prostate cancer will have occurred in the United States during 2014. About 60% of all prostate cancer cases are diagnosed in men aged 65 years and older, and 97% of cases occur in men aged 50 and older. The incidence of prostate cancer is 60% higher in African Americans than in whites.
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BLOG: Time to show and tell about antibiotic stewardship programsPresident Obama’s recent proposal to nearly double funding for antibiotic resistance programs to $1.2 billion in the 2016 federal budget confirms that the battle against “superbugs” is indeed moving up the government agenda.
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Drugs in Perspective: Lemtrada (alemtuzumab)Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) received FDA approval on November 14, 2014, under fast track designation, for the treatment of patients with relapsing forms of MS.Due to the safety profile, alemtuzumab should generally be reserved for patients who have had an inadequate response to 2 or more drugs indicated for MS.
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[BLOG]: Best Practices between formulary managers and pharmacists to address challenges in COPD readmissionsTo address the burden of COPD on hospital expenditures, on October 1, 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services included COPD in its Hospital Readmissions Reductions Program. This inclusion resulted in reduced Medicare reimbursement for hospitals that demonstrate excessive 30-day COPD patient readmission rates.
