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Express Scripts Wants Early Discussions to Help Lower Treatment Costs
After their decision to include Abbvie's triple combination for hepatitis C on their formulary, over Gilead's more expensive regimens, Express Scripts indicated at the J. P. Morgan Healthcare Conference that they'll continue the stance of choosing treatments that are equally effective but save costs, especially in cancer.
Express Scripts, the largest U.S. pharmacy benefit manager, on Tuesday said cost savings on expensive cancer treatments could be achieved if the company were involved earlier in the decision-making process.
Express Scripts, which has become more aggressive in negotiating discounts on drugs for insurance plans and employers, in December stopped covering Gilead Sciences Inc's hepatitis C treatments after lining up a cheaper price for AbbVie's newly-approved alternative.
Gilead's Sovaldi and follow-up combination pill Harvoni have been shown to cure hepatitis C in more than 90 percent of patients. But Express deemed the more than $90,000 price for 12 weeks of Harvoni treatment unaffordable.
The move reignited investor concerns that drugmakers will have to bow to pricing pressure from U.S. insurers and lawmakers over novel medications whose cost can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars for some diseases.
Read the complete report on Reuters: http://reut.rs/1wc6Bnv
Exploring Racial, Ethnic Disparities in Cancer Care Prior Authorization Decisions
October 24th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the author of a study published in the October 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® that explored prior authorization decisions in cancer care by race and ethnicity for commercially insured patients.
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Bridging the Vaccination Gap: Insights on Global Immunization Challenges
July 30th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Jeffery A. Goad, PharmD, MPH, 2024-2025 president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, on the recent report from the World Health Organization and UNICEF on public immunization rates, with national and global health implications.
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