The Big Bang (for your buck) Theory: Establishing Value in Prescribing Medications Advanced Practice Nurse Council APN Pharmacologic Update 2014 Lawrence Carey, PharmD Associate Professor, Temple University School of Pharmacy ________________ Lecturer in Pharmacology/Pharmacotherapeutics University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing Lawrence Carey, PharmD - Christiana Keynote 2014 1
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Lawrence Carey, PharmD - Christiana Keynote 2014
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The Big Bang (for your buck) Theory: Establishing Value in Prescribing Medications
Advanced Practice Nurse Council APN Pharmacologic Update 2014
Lawrence Carey, PharmD Associate Professor, Temple University School of Pharmacy
________________ Lecturer in Pharmacology/Pharmacotherapeutics
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
Lawrence Carey, PharmD - Christiana Keynote 2014
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Objectives
• List cost-related barriers to successful prescribing
• Identify assistance programs leading to successful obtaining of prescription medications
• Discuss successful strategies utilized to assure sound pharmacotherapeutic regimens based on cost
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Setting The Table
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Specific Drug Numbers
• Total yearly drug spending: $325.8 billion• Biggest gains:– Mental health, nervous system disorders, pain,
respiratory agents• Largest declines: – Allergy therapies, antibacterials, osteoporosis
agents• Generic drugs: used in 84% of all prescriptions– This is 28% of total prescription spending
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Most Popular CategoriesRank Categories Approximate # of
Prescriptions1 Cardiac 155,000,000
2 Pain management (short-term, acute) 150,000,000
3 Thyroid 96,000,000
4 Antibiotics 46,000,000
5 Respiratory 43,000,000
6 Psychiatry 39,000,000
7 Gastrointestinal 22,000,000
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Top Drugs…By PrescriptionsRank Drug Approx # of Prescriptions
1 Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen 129,068,000
2 Levothyroxine or Synthroid® 96,309,000
3 Azithromycin 46,337,000
4 Lisinopril 42,621,000
5 Simvastatin 27,955,000
6 ProAir HFA® 25,384,000
7 Crestor® 25,325,000
8 Nexium® 22,286,000
9 Atorvastatin 22,229,000
10 Ibuprofen 21,560,000
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Top Drugs…By PrescriptionsRank Drug Approx # of Prescriptions
• Where are all the diabetes drugs?– In terms of total spending, anti-diabetes drugs
garner approximately $22 billion• Metformin is the first diabetes drug to appear on list at
#40 of generics• However, Januvia® appears at # 17 of brand-only list
with Lantus® at # 19 of dollars list
• Mental health: $23 billion– This is third on all-spending list, but not on the top
ten generic list
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Forbes, 8/11/13
• Study: 95% of new medicines fail to be safe AND effective– Lots of strikeouts– But if you hit a home run…it’s a grand slam!
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Great news for big pharma.
But how do I get these medications for my patient, if cost is an issue?
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Cost-Related Barriers
• Estimates: 47 million people in USA have no prescription coverage
• Medicare Part D’s coverage gap (“the donut hole”) may mean patients skip their medications rather than pay out-of-pocket– Estimates: 15% of people skip at this point
• Prescription costs are spiraling out of the reach of many patients
• Help is too complicated for patients to follow!Kaiser Family Foundation
• Change Crestor® to simvastatin or atorvastatin– Simvastatin 40 mg, #30 = $156 (save $30)• FDA recommends no doses higher than 40 mg
– Atorvastatin 80 mg, #30 = $150 (save $40)
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Is there any way to help?
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Suggestions to Help
• Generic or alternatives whenever possible • Alert patients to Medicare-based benefits• Call pharmaceutical companies directly to see
if they provide any type of assistance – Visit the company’s website to retrieve contact
information such as email and/or phone numbers • Take advantage of discount programs – Wal-Mart, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Target
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Medicare Part B Drug Benefit
• Medicare Part B covers a limited amount of these supplies:
• Glucose monitors • Blood glucose test strips • Lancet devices and lancets • Glucose control solutions • Insulin via a pump– If self-inject, goes to part D
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Medicare Part D Drug Benefit
• Optional prescription drug insurance through Medicare
• This drug coverage is available to everyone who has Medicare, regardless of income, health status or how their prescriptions were previously covered– Private companies provide the insurance
coverage; patients choose the drug plan and pay a monthly premium
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Medicare Part D: Terms for 2014
www.Cahealthadvocates.org
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Patient Assistance Programs
• Are available through a lot of manufacturers though terms may differ widely– Estimates are 250 pharmaceutical companies have
these• Issue: – Very few people know about these programs– Those that do often find that applying for them is
a confusing and prohibitive process
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Example of A Patient Assistance Program
www.rxhope.com
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The “4 Dollar” Programs
• Good news: lots of drugs on these lists– Fair number of antibiotics (amoxicillin)– Some decent antihypertensive choices
• Bad news:– No insulin– No inhalers– Very few statins (lovastatin is popular)– Some cardiac meds could be troublesome• Clonidine in an older patient not a great choice
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Delaware Prescription Assistance Program
• Provides each eligible individual with up to $3000 per year toward medically necessary prescription drugs – Does not pay for diabetic drugs or supplies for
Medicare recipients • Medicare currently provides this coverage for both insulin
and non-insulin dependent patients
• Clients must make a co-payment of 25% of the cost of the prescription, or a minimum of $5
http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dmma/dpap.html
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Strategies for Cost-Effective Pharmacotherapeutic Regimens
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Strategy 1
• If you have to use any $4 dollar program, know what is available.
• Look at these AHEAD of time.• Know that these lists may vary between
neighborhoods and states, even if within the same chain.
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Strategy 2
• Sometimes, you must sacrifice user-friendliness in the name of getting any medications at all. – May mean more tablets per day– May mean missing some doses due to accidental
non-adherence– May also mean that at least the patient can get
something instead of nothing.
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Strategy 3
• Know what your government clinics offer• Use websites that provide information on
various patients assistance programs and advertise these to your patients and families– www.needymeds.org– www.rxassist.org– www.pparx.org