MDRP Pre-Conference Summits Announced | Last Chance to Save $500 is this Friday

Acquire best practices from industry peers and experts to ensure effective rebate calculations during the pre-conference day summits at the 19th Annual Medicaid Drug Rebate Program Summit. These full and half day summits have been specifically tailored to address your individual areas of expertise, regardless of whether you are a beginner or veteran in the industry.

Plus! This year, we've added two new summits to address the anticipated impact and implications of the AMP Final Rule, along with a Generics manufacturers focused summit to navigate the difference between brands and generics calculation when complying with government rebate rules.

The Pre-Conference Summits include:

NEW! AMP Final Rule Regulatory Impact
Chairperson: Alice Valder Curran, Partner, Hogan Lovells LLP
NEW! Portfolio Management for Generics Manufacturers
Chairperson: Robert La Porte, Director, Government Pricing & Compliance, West-Ward Pharmaceuticals
UPDATED! 340B Compliance for Pharma Manufacturers
Chairperson: Christopher Hatwig, MS, RPh, FASHP, VP, Apexus/340B Prime Vendor Program
Back by Popular Demand! MDRP 101
Chairperson: Miree Lee, Principal, M. Lee Consulting, LLC     

Download the brochure for the complete summit and session details.

These summits are part of the Platinum and Gold Passes, which gives you access to the full three days of the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program Summit — the best value! This Friday, June 20th is your last chance to save up to $500! Click here to register now or call 888-670-8200. Be sure to use Priority Code: XP1958BLOG

Don't miss out on the largest government pricing and reimbursement event in the industry! No other event provides you with access to this many government agencies who directly impact your business. Click here to save your seat now.

I look forward to meeting you in Chicago this September.

Overspending on many drugs in Medicaid

I recently found the white paper Overspending on Multi-Source Drugs in Medicaid. It looks at 2009 Medicaid drug data that shows that in the case of multi-source drugs, there are often frequently more sales on the more costly brands.

According to the article at the American Enterprise Insitute: Because there is usually a large price differential between brand and generic drugs, a high generic substitution rate ensures cost-effectiveness in the Medicaid drug program without engaging in policies that affect clinical decisions.

Read the white paper here:
http://bit.ly/a0Iqwm

Non-compliance, requests for generics on the rise, says survey

Matthew Arnold of Medical Marketing & Media reports that, physicians say patient compliance is getting worse, and they're hearing more requests for generic or OTC alternatives to prescribed medications as the economic malaise takes its toll, according to a Pri-Med survey.

The Pri-Med survey used 473 respondents with 70% said they are hearing patients increasingly request generic or OTC alternatives, and 68% said they've noticed an increase in non-compliant behaviors with regards to medication usage among patients. More than half said they're seeing changes in patient payment, such as increased delinquencies or requests for payment plans, and 88% are seeing changes to patients' appointment behaviors, including increased cancellations and refusals of tests or screening procedures.

Physicans say that they are devoting more time to phone consultations and low-cost alternatives to help serve their patients needs.


To network with health plan and pharma professionals involved in medication and treatment compliance initiatives, join our LinkedIn group.

Medicare Pays Too Much for New Generics

According to this article on The Wall Street Journal Blog when the price of generic drugs plunges, Medicare is slow to reflect that price change.

A report published by the Health and Human Services’ inspector general looks at irinotecan, which is a cancer that went generic in February of this year. The average price of the drug factoring in sales of the branded version was $52. During the current quarter, Medicare was paying about $75 for irinotecan, which is still far above the average price.

Read the full report here.