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State Update: Prescription Drug Reform Legislation in 2010
Regulatory
Oversight of Pharmacy Benefit Managers: In 2010, legislators in Arizona (HB 2272)
and Iowa (SB 20171) have
introduced comprehensive PBM oversight (mirroring PSN model
legislation). Vermont has a comprehensive bill, H.591 to strengthen existing PBM transparency law. Alaska, Georgia,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New
Jersey, Oklahoma, South Carolina, West Virginia
have bills moving in their states that contain some PBM provisions. Wyoming's PBM bill, SF 67, died in the House Corporations Committee.
Maine has enacted two bills to further regulate PBMs: LD 1339 requires registration with the Bureau of Insurance and gives the State Auditor a role in purchasing contracts; LD 1498, Public Law 591, establishes prompt pay rules.
Expansion
of 340B Program: Another key reform establishes commissions to explore
ways of expanding the number of provider entities who could qualify under the
340B drug pricing program. As 340B
prices are a dramatic 19% to 20% lower than the purchase price of
prescription drugs through Medicaid, states stand to realize significant
savings by moving segments of their Medicaid population, or others who
receive prescription services from the state, to a 340B program. In
2010, Arizona (HB 2272) and Iowa
(SB 2071) have
introduced expansions of their 340B programs, while North Carolina is
exploring the possibility of moving a bill once their session begins in May.
Prescriber
Education Services and Drug Industry Gift Bans:
In an effort to improve the quality of health care, another key policy is prescriber education services (also
referred to as academic detailing) while also requiring drug companies to
either disclose gifts to providers or ban them
altogether. Comprehensive bills have been introduced in Arizona (HB 2705) and Iowa
(SB 48), while
companion bills containing some of the prescriber education language is
moving in Minnesota (HB 1640 / SB 895). Colorado
has a gift ban (SB 126) bill
with related provisions that has passed out of the Health Committee and payment disclosure legislation is also pending in Illinois.
Several states, including Maine, have withheld action on gift disclosure legislation pending action on the Physician Payment Sunshine Act, which was included in the health care reform legislation signed into law last week.
Product Stewardship: Mandatory Drug Take-back: With pressure tactics and full page ads, PhRMA and the biotech industry fought hard against pathbreaking Maine legislation to require drugmakers to develop programs to take back unused drugs, based on a product stewardship model already in use for products such as mercury containing fixtures and computers. LD 821 passed handily the House but was killed in the Senate.
Online Marketing to Kids: PhRMA, the ACLU, and internet companies such as AOL teamed up to repeal a law passed in 2009 to prevent predatory online marketing to kids and protect the privacy of their personal information. LD 1667, intended to replace last year's law, ended up only repealing it.
Datamining: Maryland's SB 1040 had a legislative hearing last week. NLARx consulting attorney Meredith Jacob testified in support. AB 2112 would regulate prescription privacy in California. Minnesota's comprehensive Rx legislation includes prescription privacy provisions.
Click here for additional information about the Progressive States Network's Rx Agenda.
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More News from the States
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Missouri: Medicaid Puts Missouri Governor in a Bind more
Montana: Montana Governor Wants to Get Drugs from Canada more
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Texas: State Rethinks Disease Management Program more
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Conference
"Prescription for Conflict: Should Industry Fund Continuing Medical Education?," sponsored by PharmedOut. The discussion will address the questions: Does industry funding of CME adversely affect the educational content of CME? If so, can commercial bias be assessed and mitigated? For more information, or to register. |
Outrage of the Week
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Pfizer Faces $142M in Neurontin Damages more
Pfizer Must Pay $141M For Neurontin Marketing more
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Pharmaceuticals & Health Reform
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In the Long Run, Reforms Mean Less Risk, Lower Rewards for Pharmas more
Why Doing Something About 'Pay for Delay' Will Have to Wait more
Recession Means Fewer Prescriptions Filled more
Rx Abandonment Rate Continues to Rise more
Reform Sets Big Budget for Comparative Research more
Healthcare Reform Impact on Prescription Drugs more
Along for the Reform Ride: Sunshine Legislation more
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Conflict of Interest
As Universities Tighten Ethics Policies, Private Physicians Promote Products moreNIMH Chief, Scolds Psychiatry morePsychiatrists And Pharma: Undue Influence? moreStanford Medical School Expands Conflict Rules moreNIH Should Disclose Financial Conflicts: Watchdog more |
Conflicts: Spotlight on Avandia
Scientists With Ties to Industry More Likely to Write Nice Things About Drugs moreAvandia, Clinical Trials And Independent Analysis moreBMJ Study: Conflicts Associated with Substantial Bias on Rosiglitazone moreGlaxo Funded Backers of "Danger" Drug moreMost Avandia Supporters Have Ties To Glaxo more |
Pharmaceutical Pricing
Little Pricey Pill - Nexium is a parable of what's wrong with health care more
US Senate Panel Commences Drug Pricing Probe more
Sen Kohl Probes Price Differences In Drugs In US, Abroad more
Biggest Medicare Drug Plans Raise Prices 10 Percent On Average more
Germany's Ruling CDU Plans Three-Year Drug Price Freeze more
Why do Americans Pay More for Their Meds? more
Report: MA Hospital Costs Unconnected To Quality Of Care more
The World's Most Expensive Drugs more
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Advertising and Marketing
In Protecting Market Research, Federal Exclusion May Not Always Apply more
Have Pharma Promos Gone Too Commercial?
more
Walgreen to Pay Nearly $6 Mln to Settle Ad Charges | Reuters more
Access to Docs Flat, but Appointments on the Rise, Survey Says more
Yahoo!'s Claim That Patients Are "Ambivalent" When It Comes to Side Effect Information in Search Ads Is BS! more
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Pharma and Facebook: A Social Media Spotlight
Consumer Advocates Submit Comments to FDA on Regulation of Social Media more
J&J Urges FDA to Be As Flexible Regulating Social Media, But... more
Drug Companies Are Flocking to Facebook for Eyeballs, Not Conversation more
Disgruntled Patient Shuts Down Sanofi-Aventis Facebook Page more
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Pharma Watch
Jail Time for Executives Might Stop Drug Crimes more
When Drug Makers' Profits Outweigh Penalties more
AstraZeneca - Seroquel: What's the Latest? more
Britain's AstraZeneca Wins First Trial in Seroquel Case more
Alpharma to Pay $42.5M to Settle Lawsuit more
All Eyes on Antipsychotics more
Merck, Groundwater Pollution & Sick Neighbors more
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PBM Watch
Pepsi Ruling May Have Meaning For FTC's Review Of CVS more
Can CVS Caremark Win the Drug Wars? more
Merger That Created CVS Caremark is Probed more
CVS CEO Ryan's pay grows 27% to $30M more
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Patents and Generics
Biosimilars Mean Competition, Not Marketing Oblivion, for Biologics more
Generic Drugs: Protest Group Was Not Quite What It Seemed more
Pharma And 'Unethical' Patent Lobbying In India more
Pay-To-Delay Ban Dropped From Healthcare Reform more
Teva Outwrestles Pfizer to Land Generics Maker Ratiopharm more
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Medicare and Medicaid
Health Reform Debate Often Misrepresents Changes To Medicare more
States Weigh Taxes To Help Fund Medicaid-And Raise Federal Contributions more
Medicare Pay Cut For Doctors Still Looms At End Of Month more
Which Medicare Plans Broke Rules? more
Medicare Regulators Halt Insurer's Part D Business more
Does Medicare 'Doughnut Hole' Spur Increase In Foreign Drug Imports? more
Medicare 'Doughnut Hole' may Induce Illegal Foreign Drug Imports more
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Safety and Clinical Trials
FDA Warned Psychiatrist Over Foster Kids In Trials more
Genzyme To Receive Consent Decree From The FDA more
Nursing Homes Chafe Under Prescribing Rules more
Should The FDA Be Able To Reevalute Products? more
The Lilly Heist and the Need for E-Pedigree more
Awash in Fake Drugs, Nigerians Fight Back more
FDA Will Review Fosamax, Boniva for Safety more
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