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Disabled Patients Skew Medicare Rx Benefit Design
Pharmaceutical Executive
If policy makers crafting a Medicare pharmacy benefit are worried about heavy prescription spending by seniors, they should take a closer look at medication use by the five million disabled beneficiaries in the program of 40 million patients.
If policy makers crafting a Medicare pharmacy benefit are worried about heavy prescription spending by seniors, they should take a closer look at medication use by the five million disabled beneficiaries in the program of 40 million patients. Medicare provides healthcare coverage for individuals under 65 who are totally and permanently disabled. Many qualify for Medicaid pharmacy benefits, but their low incomes make paying for prescription medicines particularly burdensome, according to a report on "Medicare's Disabled Beneficiaries: The Forgotten Population in the Debate Over Drug Benefits" from the Commonwealth Fund and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. That population fills more prescriptions and spends more on medicines each year than the elderly. (See "The Other Medicare Patients.")
The Other Medicare Patients
Moreover, the report points out, disabled Medicare beneficiaries use a different mix of pharmaceuticals than seniors do. Most notable is the heavy use of psychotherapeutics and analgesics -both low on the list of drugs commonly used by Medicare patients. (See "One Program, Two Lists.")
One Program, Two Lists
Johnson & Johnson Seeks FDA Approval for Subcutaneous Tremfya Regimen for Ulcerative Colitis
November 22nd 2024Johnson & Johnson has submitted a supplemental Biologics License Application to the FDA for a subcutaneous induction regimen of Tremfya for adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis based on positive Phase III ASTRO trial results.
Key Findings of the NIAGARA and HIMALAYA Trials
November 8th 2024In this episode of the Pharmaceutical Executive podcast, Shubh Goel, head of immuno-oncology, gastrointestinal tumors, US oncology business unit, AstraZeneca, discusses the findings of the NIAGARA trial in bladder cancer and the significance of the five-year overall survival data from the HIMALAYA trial, particularly the long-term efficacy of the STRIDE regimen for unresectable liver cancer.
Fake Weight Loss Drugs: Growing Threat to Consumer Health
October 25th 2024In this episode of the Pharmaceutical Executive podcast, UpScriptHealth's Peter Ax, Founder and CEO, and George Jones, Chief Operations Officer, discuss the issue of counterfeit weight loss drugs, the potential health risks associated with them, increasing access to legitimate weight loss medications and more.
