Survey

Last month's survey results:

With the recent announcement of Medco's acquisition by Express Scripts, potentially bringing 2 of the nation's largest PBMs together, what do you see as the most significant implications of such consolidation for the industry?

a) Enhanced competition within the industry, inevitably translating to even lower drug costs for PBM payer clients. 1%

b) Unfair advantages for Express Scripts based upon its size, thus reducing competition and potentially increasing long-term costs for payers. 53%

c) Increased pressures on retail pharmacies forcing more pharmacies out of business. 44%

d) Increased quality of PBM clinical, analytic and administrative services across the industry, as other PBMs strive to stay competitive. 1%

e) Minimal, if any, impact. 1%

What is your health system’s oncology medication approval process?

a) We follow the CMS-approved compendia. If a medication is listed, it is approved. We do not follow any pathway.

b) We follow the CMS-approved compendia, but a medication is only approved when it follows a pathway.

c) We follow internal guidelines. No pathway is required.

d) We follow internal guidelines, with only specific pathways.

Digital Edition

FDA: Safety review update on possible increased risk of blood clots with drospirenone-containing birth control pills

Online tools help healthcare professionals use CER

ADVERTISEMENT

Resource Center: Oral Anticoagulation in Atrial Fibrillation - Atrial fibrillation afflicts more than 2.3 million persons in the United States and is expected to increase 2.5-fold by 2050. To find risk stratifying tools and articles on emerging oral anticoagulant therapies,
click here...

Everolimus plus hormone therapy reduced breast cancer progression

Everolimus tablets (Afinitor, Novartis) plus the hormonal therapy exemestane more than doubled progression-free survival and significantly reduced the risk of cancer progression by 57% versus exemestane alone for women with advanced breast cancer, according to the results of a phase 3 study presented at the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress in Stockholm, Sweden. Read full article.

PAH drug demonstrates efficacy in phase 3 trial

Investigational drug QTI571 (imatinib) from Novartis significantly improved walking distance in patients with life-threatening pulmonary arterial hypertension, according to the results of a phase 3 study presented at the European Respiratory Society Annual Congress in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Read full article.

Current methods to assess medication adherence may result in inflation

In a cohort of 15,417 patients, medication adherence estimates were inflated by 9% to 18% when early nonadherent patients are omitted from adherence calculations, according to results of the study published in the August 18 issue of Annals of Pharmacotherapy. Read full article.

FDA approves clindamycin injection

FDA has approved clindamycin injection, USP (Sagent Pharmaceuticals/Strides Arcolab), an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections. Read full article.

FDA takes part in global efforts to combat unsafe internet drugs

FDA and other regulatory and international partners have completed the International Internet Week of Action (IIWA), a cooperative effort to curb online sales and distribution of counterfeit and illegal medical products. Read full article.

Blue Shield of California stops coverage of bevacizumab for breast cancer

Blue Shield of California will no longer pay for the use of bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group) to treat metastatic breast cancer, according to The New York Times. Read full article.