Pharmacy

Health insurer Anthem has reached a deal that makes Gilead Sciences’ Harvoni the primary treatment for patients with hepatitis C, following close on the heels of hep C drug announcements by CVS Health and Express Scripts.

Drug shortages and manufacturer consolidation are leaving their imprint on the price of some generic drugs.

Specialty pharmaceuticals will have a profound impact on the practice of pharmacy over the next 10 years, affecting all pharmacy practice settings and accelerate the importance of medication management to ensure the appropriate use of these important therapeutic agents.

Retail prices for brand name prescription drugs widely used by older Americans shot up by an average of nearly 13% in 2013, more than eight times faster than the 1.5% general inflation rate, according to a new AARP Public Policy Institute report.

To address local market needs of public health insurance exchange customers, Cigna has voluntarily agreed to the request of the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (FLOIR) to modify its formulary structure for generic versions of specialty drug medications.

Americans in 2013 spent a little more on medical services from the prior year, but utilized them less, according to a new report by the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI).

Confronted with the escalating costs of specialty drugs, payers and PBMs have been employing a variety of strategies in an attempt to limit their financial exposure and improve patient outcomes.

Experts anticipate plans with up to seven levels

Consider physician incentivization

"Pharmacosynchrony” is a new concept rapidly attracting interest

Possible side effects, population vulnerability also concerns

Utilize pharmacy benefit tools and member engagement strategies

Pharmacy benefits managers are paying attention to medications that specifically target children

Identity proofing is often a roadblock

Industry experts question whether the high cost of treatment is beneficial to patients and health plans

Price continues to drive prescription drug trend

Effectively run an oral oncology drug program

Prior authorization only goes so far

Optimize benefit plans to motivate patients to take advantage of cost-effective drugs

Specialty medications accounted for six of the top 10 drugs in exchange claims data

Measures of access to care explained almost half of variation in readmission by county

MCOs experienced a 1.7% overall pharmacy trend in 2013, down from 1.9% in 2012.

Women saved $483 million in 2013 on contraceptives, or $22.44 per fill

Exclusive video of Pfizer's Dave Mouleson the relationship between payers and pharmaceutical manufacturers.