Will Americans Get PBM Reform in 2024? Maybe, But Many Things Need to Happen In Order to Get There. On the Upside: Insulin Has Opted Out of PBM Sales.
At the core of this post is a YouTube video which can be viewed in the middle of this blog post. The subject is about whether we ' ll get much-needed legislation passed into law to reform corrupt Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) which we know with absolute certainty were at fault for runaway insulin prices. At least that was true until March 2023, when the three largest insulin manufacturers, starting withLilly, followed byNovo Nordisk and shortly thereafter,Sanofi all announced major insulin list price reductions in the range of 70% to 78%. Think about that for a second: Imagine being able to instantly...
Source: Scott's Web Log - March 17, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Tags: 2024 Congress insulin prices PBM rebates reform Source Type: blogs
Will Americans Get PBM Reform in 2024? Maybe, But Many Things Need to Happen I Order to Get There. On the Upside: Insulin Has Opted Out of PBM Sales.
At the core of this post is a YouTube video which can be viewed in the middle of this blog post. The subject is about whether we ' ll get much-needed legislation passed into law to reform corrupt Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) which we know with absolute certainty were at fault for runaway insulin prices. At least that was true until March 2023, when the three largest insulin manufacturers, starting withLilly, followed byNovo Nordisk and shortly thereafter,Sanofi all announced major insulin list price reductions in the range of 70% to 78%. Think about that for a second: Imagine being able to instantly...
Source: Scott's Web Log - March 17, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Tags: 2024 Congress insulin prices PBM rebates reform Source Type: blogs
Patient Advocates Argue Exercising Bayh-Dole " March-In " Rights Reasonable to Ensure Ongoing Supply of an Insulin Novo Nordisk Intends to Discontinue
Back in 2016 (when President Obama was still in office), the trade group known as the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (better known by the acronym PhRMA) claimed in an organization-published white paper (seehttps://web.archive.org/web/20161022175500/https://phrma.org/sites/default/files/pdf/bayh-dole-act-white-paper-summary.pdf for an archived copy of that paper from PhRMA; note that it has since been removed from PhRMA ' s website, hence I found a copy on the Internet Archive) that championed the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980. Understand that what PhRMA really wants to prevent a particular provision...
Source: Scott's Web Log - February 11, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Tags: march-in rights 2024 Alliance to Protect Insulin Choice APIC Bayh-Dole insulin detemir Levemir Novo Nordisk Source Type: blogs
The Business Case for a Biosimilar Company to Bring a Copy of Levemir to Market
My readers may recall that in November 2023, I blogged that Novo Nordisk announced it plans to retire (stop making) its first " Lantus killer " known as Levemir (insulin detemir injection) in the U.S. in 2024 (catch my post at https://blog.sstrumello.com/2023/11/novo-nordisk-to-discontinue-levemir-in.html for more). At the time I learned of the announcement, I was on vacation in Amsterdam, so I just made a note of the development and blogged about it a few weeks later upon my return.Like other patients my age, I have endured the company ' s previous insulin " retirements " . Novo Nordisk ' s time-frame for withdr...
Source: Scott's Web Log - January 25, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Tags: 2024 Biosimilar Levemir Novo Nordisk PBM Source Type: blogs
Consider Bypassing Your Health Insurance to Afford Certain Type 1 Diabetes-Related Medicines and Supplies
Since it ' s January (a new year), and about half of all Americans with employer-sponsored healthcare insurance plans have some deductibles to satisfy before their healthcare insurance really kicks-in to cover much of anything and deductibles reset on January 1, I thought perhaps this might be a good time to write about my own experience with high-deductible insurance plans and some intelligent work-arounds which I ' ve discovered to deal with those. Who knows? You might (as I did) find you actually like using a particular brand or variety of insulin which is not " preferred " by your insurance ' s PBM, or maybe you f...
Source: Scott's Web Log - January 11, 2024 Category: Endocrinology Tags: type 1 diabetes 2024 bypass insurance manufacturer coupons PBM ' PBMs unbranded insulin Source Type: blogs
Ginger Vieira – Exercise with Type 1 Diabetes
In conclusion, Ginger Vieira’s book, Exercise with Type 1 Diabetes (affiliate link), is a must-read for anyone with diabetes who wants to incorporate exercise into their daily routine.
Ginger’s expertise and personal experiences make this book a valuable resource for understanding the impact of exercise on blood sugar levels and managing diabetes effectively.
With practical tips and a supportive approach, Ginger empowers readers to take control of their health and enjoy the benefits of exercise. Don’t miss out on this concise and informative guide! ...
Source: Scott's Diabetes Blog - December 20, 2023 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Scott K. Johnson Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
Novo Nordisk to Discontinue Levemir in 2024
Upgrade to Patent-Protected Tresiba — or else!On Wednesday, November 8, 2023, Novo Nordisk announced that it would discontinue its long-acting insulin Levemir (insulin detemir injection) in the United States, citing manufacturing constraints, reduced patient access and available alternatives. The company ' s official statement (seehttps://www.novomedlink.com/diabetes/products/treatments/levemir.html) said: " We will continue to provide Levemir FlexPen and Levemir vials to wholesalers while supplies last, up to the discontinuation dates, but supply disruptions should be expected. "It added further: " Levemir FlexPen,...
Source: Scott's Web Log - November 29, 2023 Category: Endocrinology Tags: 2023 basal insulin diatribe discontinue insulin detemir Levemir Novo Nordisk Source Type: blogs
Your Insulin of the Future Could Be " Made in China " if Big PBMs Have a Say in the Matter
Back on June 16, 2022, I published an article on LinkedIn entitled "How the Civica Insulin Announcement May Be Disruptive to the PBM Kickback Scheme" (see the article athttps://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-civica-insulin-announcement-may-disruptive-pbm-scheme-strumello/ if you wish to read it) which predicted that a growing number of insulin biosimilars whose active pharmaceutical ingredients (API ' s) are cultured in offshore laboratories are forecast to hit the U.S. market in the next few years. According to the FDA and the individual companies whom I also follow on LinkedIn, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) typ...
Source: Scott's Web Log - October 15, 2023 Category: Endocrinology Tags: 2023 Congress insulin insulin prices lawmakers PBM Pharmacy Benefit Managers Source Type: blogs
Another Three Biosimilar Insulins Planned from Meitheal Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
On September 21, 2023, Chicago-basedMeitheal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (which is a subsidiary of a Chinese parent company named Nanjing King-Friend Biochemical Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) announced an exclusive commercial licensing agreement with a different Chinese company known asTonghua Dongbao Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. with intent to sell three insulin biosimilars in the U.S. market. The company press release can be seen athttps://www.meithealpharma.com/news/61 while the pharmaceutical industry trade press covered the story athttps://www.thepharmaletter.com/article/licensing-deal-to-bring-three-new...
Source: Scott's Web Log - September 30, 2023 Category: Endocrinology Tags: 2023 Biosimilar insulin Meitheal Pharmaceuticals Source Type: blogs
Why Amazon Pharmacy's Recent Insulin Move is Helpful, But Not Groundbreaking
On August 15, 2023, Amazon Pharmacy (fka PillPack) announced (seehttps://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/amazon-pharmacy-insulin-coupons/ for the announcement) that it would begin automatically applying various manufacturer coupons to more than 15 common insulins and diabetes devices (including Dexcom, which offers a coupon for up to $200 per month athttps://www.dexcom.com/en-us/savings-center-cgm-without-insurance/ even without insurance). So far, no coupons from Abbott on Freestyle Libre 3 sensors, but the longer wear-time of 14-days means those cost about one-third less than Dexcom ' s 10-day Some products, such as bloo...
Source: Scott's Web Log - August 22, 2023 Category: Endocrinology Tags: 2023 Amazon Amazon Pharmacy coupons insulin prices Source Type: blogs
Podcast Episode Recommendation: Healthy Dose of Dialogue Episode 31 " A Dose of Prescription Drug Disruption "
Today, I am recommending a podcast episode worth listening to. Specifically, it is an episode from June 15, 2022 of the podcast known as " Healthy Dose of Dialogue " which describes its mission to " gather the brightest minds in healthcare to share their unique perspectives on transformative marketplace trends, industry insights, and their vision for the future " .This particular episode (EP31: " A Dose of Prescription Drug Disruption " ) is an interview with the President of CivicaScript LLC, which in case you weren ' t aware of it, is an affiliated business unit of the nonprofit drug company Civica, Inc. The president of...
Source: Scott's Web Log - August 9, 2023 Category: Endocrinology Tags: 2023 Biosimilar Civica Civica Rx CivicaRx CivicaScript insulin podcast podcast episode recommendations ypsomed Source Type: blogs
Testimony from Actress Justine Bateman, JDRF's Aaron Turner-Phifer FTC Testimony and 2007 Express Scripts Study on Potential Savings of Biogenerics in the U.S.
Back in 2007, I blogged that the PBM Express Scripts (five years before that company acquired rival PBM Medco Health Solutions in 2012 before selling itself to the insurance company Cigna when it lost most of its paying clients in 2018) published a report on its forecast for savings which might come from biosimilar competition (see my original post athttps://blog.sstrumello.com/2007/03/generic-biologics-could-save-71-billion.html for more). An archived copy of the old Express Scripts report is archived athttp://web.archive.org/web/20100922170223/http://express-scripts.com/research/studies/pharmacybenefitresearch/specialtyp...
Source: Scott's Web Log - July 25, 2023 Category: Endocrinology Tags: 2007 2023 Biosimilar biosimilars FTC insulin JDRF Source Type: blogs
Opinion Piece from Pharmacists United for Truth & Transparency ( " PUTT " )
Pharmacists United for Truth& Transparency ( " PUTT " ) is a non-profit advocacy organization founded by independent pharmacists and pharmacy owners devoted to exposing what they describe as anti-competitive tactics deployed by the largest Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs - aka Pharmacy Benefit Companies or PBCs as the trade organization known as the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association or PCMA has tried to rebrand its industry since the acronym PBM has become toxic) recently published an opinion piece with an interesting title: " The Deadliest Addiction in the U.S. Isn ' t What You Think It Is " (read it athttps:...
Source: Scott's Web Log - July 12, 2023 Category: Endocrinology Tags: 2023 drug prices PBM Pharmacists United for Truth & Transparency PUTT Source Type: blogs
Navitus 2022 Drug Trend Report
Its been many years since I posted news of a PBM Drug Trend Report. Once upon a time, PBM drug trend reports contained lots of interesting information. However, over time (in 2021, for example, when reports from the preceding year were published), CVS Caremark published only a bare-bones summary, while Prime Therapeutics, MedImpact, and other large PBMs all completelystopped publishing drug trend reports. The reason is basically because its becoming harder and harder for PBMs to present themselves as saving money when the biggest PBMs aren ' t saving any entities any money on prescription drugs anymore (I...
Source: Scott's Web Log - July 5, 2023 Category: Endocrinology Tags: 2022 2023 Drug Trend Report Navitus Navitus Health Solutions PBM Source Type: blogs
Like Don Quixote Chasing Windmills, I Aim to See Financial Remediation for Patients Still Suffering in a Predatory U.S Healthcare System
Sometimes, I feel (if you pardon the metaphor) a bit like Don Quixote chasing windmills with my efforts to see true financial remediation introduced in the predatory U.S. healthcare " system " (and I am glad to see that the term " predatory " is now being used by a growing number of medical doctors, which I think is great). I envision a type of financial remediation whereby patients will be able to get access to the care they need without having to face financial predators trying to pick their pockets with illegal discount bribes standing in the way of their getting access to things they need like insulin, CGM senors ...
Source: Scott's Web Log - June 25, 2023 Category: Endocrinology Tags: 2023 CGM Formulary Exclusion insulin PBM Source Type: blogs
