Drug Topics - December 3, 2007 - (Page 6) 6 DRUG TOPICS DECEMBER 3, 2007 www.drugtopics.com > > > NEWS Roundup Community Practice Most Part D PDPs to list fewer drugs on their formulary for 2008 Eight out of 10 of the top Medicare Part D drug plans will drop the number of drugs they have on their formulary for 2008. The decrease is estimated at 26%, from an average of 3,094 drugs in 2007 to 2,285 in 2008. What’s accounting for the drop? According to market research firm Avalere Health, drugs not approved by the FDA are excluded. In 2007, CMS had allowed plans to build their formularies from a list of 7,100 products, but for 2008, after CMS deleted the non-FDA-approved drugs and others, the list was whittled down to about 5,500 products. Other reasons driving the change are PDPs’ desire to increase rebates and reduce patients’ out-of-pocket costs. Avalere added that for 2008, patients will find a greater spread in their payments for generic and branded drugs and a four-tier drug design for many PDPs. Rx Care Schizophrenia drug gains new indication for maintenance treatment AstraZeneca’s Seroquel XR (quetiapine fumarate) ExtendedRelease Tablets have been approved for maintenance treatment of schizophrenia in adult patients. This follows an earlier approval, in May, for acute treatment of schizophrenia in adult patients. The Wilmington, Del., firm explained that schizophrenia patients often suffer relapses, so Seroquel XR will provide a new long-term treatment option for them. Fougera donates drugs to AmeriCares Fougera has made another donation of medications to AmeriCares, an international relief organization. Consisting of topical steroids and topical antibiotics, the donation will be deployed by countries ravaged by war, poverty, or natural disasters. This is the 16th year the Melville, N.Y., firm has contributed to AmeriCares. ASCP selects MTM partner At its 38th annual meeting in Philadelphia, the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists named PharmMD Solutions as a medication therapy management provider partner. ASCP has also announced that Outcomes Pharmaceutical Health Care is an MTM provider partner. PharmMD Solutions specializes in delivering MTM services to patients covered under groups such as employer-sponsored health benefits, government entities, health plans, union funds, pharmacy benefit managers, disease management firms, case management companies, and managed care organizations. Pictured with the donations are (from l. to r.) Paul McGarty, CEO of Nycomed US Inc.; Emanuela Chiaranda, manager, Corporate Relations, AmeriCares; and Curt Welling, president and CEO of AmeriCares. CMS adds new on-line tool as open enrollment begins CMS has introduced a new tool on its Web site for comparing Medicare Part D prescription drug plans as the open enrollment period began Nov. 15. Medicare Part D beneficiaries can switch plans between Nov. 15 and Dec. 31. For the first time, beneficiaries can enter specific medications and dosage information to determine out-ofpocket expenses. The calculations also help beneficiaries determine whether they will reach the doughnut-hole gap in coverage and how much they are likely to spend. Still, critics contend that even with the new tool, the process of selecting plans is extremely complex and difficult and that most seniors do not have the technological skills to take advantage of the tool. CMS has also refined its rating system for plans, moving from a three-star scale for comparisons to a five-star system. Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, faulted the ratings for being too lenient, noting that most plans received high ratings. Oral drug OK’d to treat liver cancer Nexavar (sorafenib) tablets, originally approved to treat advanced kidney cancer, have just been approved for a new indication. The kinase inhibitor can now be used to treat liver cancer as well. The oral anticancer drug, a product of Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, was approved on a priority review basis. According to Bayer, sorafenib is the first approved systemic therapy for liver cancer and the only one shown to significantly improve survival. FDA probes increased risk of death from cefepime The FDA has issued a communication regarding an increased risk of death in patients treated with cefepime, after a meta-analysis published in the May issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases noted a higher all-cause mortality in patients receiving cefepime compared with other beta-lactam antibiotics. The agency will continue to eval- http://www.drugtopics.com http://www.drugtopics.com/drugtopics/Drug+Topics+Daily+News/Outcomes-and-ASCP-push-MTM/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/473745?contextCategoryId=10239 http://www.medicare.gov/MPDPF/Public/Include/DataSection/Questions/SearchOptions.asp http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16333014
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Drug Topics - December 3, 2007 Contents Do People Sue People who Counsel? New Standard Issued for Pseudoephedrine Tracking Latest News Roundup Drug Topics - December 3, 2007 Drug Topics - December 3, 2007 - Contents (Page 1) Drug Topics - December 3, 2007 - Contents (Page 2) Drug Topics - December 3, 2007 - Contents (Page 3) Drug Topics - December 3, 2007 - Do People Sue People who Counsel? (Page 4) Drug Topics - December 3, 2007 - New Standard Issued for Pseudoephedrine Tracking (Page 5) Drug Topics - December 3, 2007 - Latest News Roundup (Page 6) Drug Topics - December 3, 2007 - Latest News Roundup (Page 7)
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.