House Bill 4276, sponsored by Rep. Alabas Farhat, D-District 3, passed out of the Michigan House of Representatives on Wednesday, Oct. 25, by a vote of 105-4. HB 4276 would require that Medicaid-managed care organizations (MCO) utilizing a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reimburse pharmacies with seven or fewer retail outlets for drug products at the lesser of: the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) plus a professional dispensing fee; the Wholesale Acquisition Cost (WAC) plus a professional dispensing; or the pharmacy’s usual and customary fee. The bill also mandates that the MCO move to a transparent pass-through pricing model and that the PBM disclose its administrative fee as a percentage of the professional dispensing costs to the Michigan Department of [...]

A new statewide program will allow cancer patients unable to afford or access cancer drugs to obtain medications that might otherwise go to waste. Under the program, people can donate no-longer-needed cancer drugs or supplies to a repository, allowing them to be repurposed for patients in need. The Ann Arbor-based YesRx repository establishes a network of pharmacists that can accept cancer drug donations from individuals, pharmacies, manufacturers and distributors, then re-prescribe them to cancer patients requiring the same dosage. Donors can turn in unused, unopened cancer medications and supplies, such as anti-nausea medicine, to doctors, pharmacists and other providers participating in the repository system. The medications must have at least six months left before their expiration. “The idea is to get [...]

In a statement issued Tuesday following the recent pharmacy store closures in the Kansas City area, the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) said it stands with pharmacists in ensuring a safe patient care environment. "As pharmacists, we have a professional obligation through our Oath to consider the welfare of humanity and the relief of suffering as our primary concerns," APhA stated "We further commit to advocating for changes that improve patient care. Pharmacists who find themselves in situations where the welfare of others is in question should always pause, evaluate the situation, and take the steps necessary to ensure safe, optimal patient care. This is irrespective of the setting of care." APhA noted that in 2021 it convened a summit of [...]

The National Community Pharmacists Association loudly applauded a class action lawsuit filed against vertically consolidated CVS Health, Caremark and Aetna that aims to recoup millions of dollars for independent pharmacies in what the lawyers say are wrongful back-end penalties for Medicare Part D prescriptions, otherwise known as pharmacy direct and indirect remuneration fees. “It’s payback time,” said NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey. “Finally, community pharmacies have a chance to recover DIR fees that were unfairly taken. PBMs have been gaming the system for a long time and it’s time to turn the tables.” The lawsuit, announced today by the law firms Berger Montague PC and Cohen & Gresser LLP, claims that Caremark – the largest pharmacy benefit manager in the country and [...]

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and its advisors recommended Tuesday that everyone age 6 months and older receive at least one dose of updated COVID-19 vaccines. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the updated vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech on Monday. Updated COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be available at major pharmacies later this week. In the coming months, the guidelines are expected to include vaccines by Novavax and any others authorized by FDA; the Novavax vaccine may serve as a good alternative for individuals who cannot receive mRNA vaccines like those made by Moderna and Pfizer. According to information submitted to CDC's advisory panel, Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax intend to charge $120 to $130 per dose [...]