|
News
Catamaran to Offer Compounded Medication Coverage in 2015
Catamaran, the nation's third largest Pharmacy Benefit Manager, recently announced a plan which will continue compounded medication coverage for their members in 2015. In a letter to pharmacies participating in the Catamaran Network, the company announced a new credentialing program that will allow pharmacies meeting certain requirements to offer compounded medications to patients. Catamaran has chosen United Compounding Management as its strategic partner in facilitating the program.
http://saverxaccess.org/featured-press-release-4/
Patients and Physicians for Rx Access Offers Tips for Coverage Denials
Have you or your patient received a denial letter for coverage of a compounded medication? Patients and Physicians for Rx Access have put together a comprehensive list of tips to assist patients in appealing adverse coverage decisions. This document also provides suggestions for maintaining coverage going forward. Visit http://saverxaccess.org/empowering-providers/educational-tools/#tab-id-5 to review this helpful document.
NECC Personnel Face Life in Prison Including Murder Charges
Fourteen people have been charged in the largest criminal case ever filed in the U.S. over contaminated medications. In total, 751 people in 20 states were affected and 64 people died. This resulted from the NECC activities of manufacturing pharmaceuticals without a license under the guise of a compounding pharmacy. Some of these individuals could face life in prison; Barry Cadden (co-founder) and Glen Adam Chin (supervisor) have the most serious charges, including being accused in the racketeering indictment of causing the deaths of patients in seven states by acting with "wanton and willful disregard" of the risks.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/12/17/meningitis-outbreak-arrests/20524441/
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/18/us/new-england-compounding-center-steroid-meningitis-arrests.html?ref=us&_r=0
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-massachusetts-meningitis-arrests-20141217-story.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/14-charged-for-roles-in-meningitis-outbreak/2014/12/17/1d4f2b34-8604-11e4-9534-f79a23c40e6c_story.html
Havoc with High-cost Generics
Skyrocketing prices for formerly cheap generic drugs are causing significant issues on the healthcare system, according to testimony by a member of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA). Rob Frankil, a pharmacist from Sellersville, Pennsylvania, testified recently before the Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging during a hearing to examine the sudden jump in prices for many generic drugs. He stated that the cost of Digoxin recently jumped from approximately $15 for a 90-day supply to $120—an 800-percent increase—at his pharmacy.
Pharmacychecker, a website that tracks prescription prices, found that some generic drugs now cost almost 20 times more in the U.S. than the prices of brand-name equivalents available in other countries. NCPA is calling for increased transparency from the PBMs, saying they are engaging in "spread pricing," or keeping reimbursement rates to pharmacies low while charging high premiums for insurance plans.
http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/view/story.jhtml?id=534358098
| 
