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EmpiRx Health saw a significant increase in pharmacy claims for behavioral health therapies but found managing these treatments in a value-based approach can mitigate the costs...The pharmacy benefit manager saw claims for behavioral health treatments grow 9.4% between 2020 and 2021...Utilization of antidepressant medications grew by 12% year over year, and use of treatments for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder increased by 20.2%...However, per claim spend for antidepressants declined by 1.8% between 2020 and 2021, and per claim spend for ADHD drugs decreased by 9.1%...“We published this data to shed light on this mental health tsunami as well as to demonstrate the successful outcomes of a financially aligned healthcare model," EmpiRx CEO Karthik Ganesh said...READ MORE

Moderna Inc has refused to hand over to China the core intellectual property behind the development of its COVID-19 vaccine, leading to a collapse in negotiations on its sale there...the vaccine maker is still “eager” to sell the product to China...READ MORE

After more than two decades of violating state law, the Nevada Board of Pharmacy must remove cannabis from a list of controlled substances deemed to be highly abused, a Clark County District Court judge ruled...The order followed a lawsuit brought forward in April by the Cannabis, Equity and Inclusion Community on behalf of Antoine Poole, a Las Vegas resident who was convicted of felony possession of a controlled substance for marijuana in 2017. The conviction occurred the same year recreational marijuana use became legal in Nevada...READ MORE

When I served as a White House health advisor, I invited a group of large employers to describe the challenges company health plans faced. The top complaint? An obscure type of middleman that’s part of every health plan -- the Pharmacy Benefit Manager. The PBM industry, with only three giant companies controlling almost 80 percent of the market, offers a seemingly simple value proposition: if you’re an employer or an insurance carrier serving individuals or businesses, hire the PBM to help you get volume discounts on prescription drug makers...Sounds great! But, what if these middlemen pocketed much of the savings instead of passing them on to employers?...READ MORE

The program provides roughly 700 monthly patients with vital medications they otherwise could not afford at no cost...The shelves stay stocked at the St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy. As Southwest Ohio's only free pharmacy, there's no shortage of medication — and no shortage of people who need it...Opened in 2006 after local organization Leadership Cincincinnati advocated for a law change to allow for charitable pharmacies in the state of Ohio, the pharmacy now has a main facility at the Don & Phyllis Neyer Outreach Center and a second at the Western Hills Thrift Store...READ MORE

A new report finds that 1,216 pharmaceuticals increased their prices past the inflation rate of 8.5% from July 2021 to July 2022, with an average hike of 31.6%...The report and a second report on price trends released...by the Department of Health and Human Services underline how a new provision in the Inflation Reduction Act—an inflationary cap on Part D costs—will affect prices right as the cap is implemented Oct. 1...READ MORE

A local pharmacy will have another chance to earn approval to sell cannabis to adults on its premises, despite the pharmacy’s proximity to a school, when the Las Cruces City Council takes on the issue at an upcoming meeting...At its Sept. 6 meeting, the council will hear an appeal from Mesilla Valley Pharmacy regarding the city Planning and Zoning Commission’s decision in April to deny the pharmacy's request to sell cannabis products. The council could vote on Tuesday to reverse that decision...READ MORE

Who decides how much you pay for prescription medicines? It's a question with a very complicated answer. Now, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is hoping to simplify the process and save you money by opening his own pharmacy...Cuban helped launch Cost Plus Drugs in January. It's an online pharmacy with no storefronts that offers more than 1,000 generic drugs. The business model is built on transparency. Each drug profile breaks down how Cost Plus determines its price: cost plus a 15% markup, $3 pharmacy fee, and $5 for shipping..."We get people coming to us and saying 'your price is $10, my co-pay is $20,'" said Cuban. "'So I'm ignoring my insurance and coming straight to you.'"...Cost Plus does it by negotiating directly with drug manufacturers and cutting out the middleman...READ MORE

Nevada’s governor...said the state is launching a prescription discount card, a method of softening the rising costs of medications that is also used in Washington and Oregon...The digital card, called ArrayRX, saves an average of 80% on generic prescriptions and up to 20% on brand name drugs and is free for Nevadans, Governor Steve Sisolak said. For those without health insurance, the card is set to lower costs significantly...Those with health insurance will be able to compare their costs with ArrayRX, and can opt for whichever option is cheaper...READ MORE

Pfizer recently launched a "Breakthrough Fellowship Program," which includes a scholarship for a graduate degree and guaranteed employment, for students and "early career colleagues of Black/African American, Latino/Hispanic and Native American descent," a requirement that could run afoul of federal law...READ MORE