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Mississippi, You’re On My Mind
New research by pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts has found that the “U.S. wasted $418 billion in 2012 based on bad medication-related decisions, and the impact was most deeply felt in those states that could least afford it.” The Express Scripts analysis looked at pharmacy-related decisions …
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NCPA Endorses Bill to Increase Medicare Drug Costs
With Medicare spending representing a massive and growing part of federal deficits, why would anyone want to increase Medicare costs? But that’s just what new legislation backed by the National Community Pharmacists Association would do. The bill, S. 867, introduced on May 6, 2013, by Senators …
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Ignore the Fine Print, Just Sign Here Please…
Every so often, we come across an innocuous news article that highlights a divergence between Washington lobbying rhetoric and marketplace practices. Recently, the Wall Street Journal ran a front-page article about Procter & Gamble moving to extend its payment terms with suppliers from an average …
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Pharmaceutical Companies Playing on Safety Rules to Impede Cost-Saving Generics
In a recent post, we talked about how pharmaceutical companies use “evergreen” techniques to work around the expiration of patents and extend profitable exclusivity periods for branded drugs. Now the New York Times has revealed another set of techniques in what pharmaceutical companies euphemistically call …
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New Developments on Improving Health and Reducing Costs through Vaccines
As the Affordable Care Act celebrates its third anniversary, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced the extension of preventive services coverage to approximately 105 million Americans, including 34 million Medicare beneficiaries. Currently, the U. S. spends close to 18% of the …
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Wall St. Journal and Academic Look at Adverse Effects of Independent Pharmacy Efforts to Get PBM Pricing Data
A Wall Street Journal article, “Drugstores Press for Pricing Data,” (Mar. 27, 2013) takes a close look at independent pharmacy lobby efforts to get new laws in Oregon and other states forcing pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to turn over to pharmacies sensitive pricing information. The …
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Generic Pharmaceutical Association Suggests Alternatives to Medicare Part D Sequestration Cuts
Under the Budget Control Act sequestration spending cuts that went into effect at the beginning of March, federal payments to Medicare Part D (prescription drug) plans and much other Medicare spending will be subject to a 2% haircut. But the Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA) says …
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Good vs. Bad Regulation
There are times when enhanced government regulation in health care is desperately needed to protect the public and to restore trust and confidence in certain parts of the system. The recent, tragic case of a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy effectively acting like a drug manufacturer – …
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An Academic Looks at Problems with Pharmacy Board Regulation of PBMs
In an earlier piece, we looked at the questionable expansion of state pharmacy board regulatory activities including into such areas as regulation of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Now there is a new, in-depth article by Professor Joanna Shepherd of the Emory University School of Law, …
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Biotech Companies Lobbying to Impede Cost-Saving Biosimilars
We have previously written about how the Affordable Care Act’s provisions on biosimilar drugs represent a missed opportunity to bring cost-saving biosimilar drugs to market. Now, a new study from Grant Thornton shows just how much money these biosimilar drugs could save. According to the …
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