WHO Won’t Advise COVID-19 Boosters for Healthy Groups, Ohio Sues PBMs
Experts from the World Health Organization won’t recommend shots for most, and the Ohio Attorney General is suing pharmacy benefit managers for their alleged drug pricing schemes.
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By - Leading healthcare policy news this week, the WHO vaccine advisory group announced that it wouldn’t recommend COVID-19 boosters for low and medium-risk patients. Meanwhile, the Ohio Attorney General filed suit against several pharmacy benefit managers alleging collusion on drug pricing.
Healthcare Trade Associations Fight DEA on Prescribing Rules
In February, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) announced that it would limit the virtual prescribing of controlled substances conjuring the ire of several healthcare trade associations.
"We appreciate DEA's responsibility to write rules that provide effective controls against diversion and protect public health and safety but believe that the requirement that a patient sees a clinician in-person is not an effective control against diversion and, instead, simply limits access to legitimate health care," said Kyle Zebley, executive director of ATA Action, the advocacy arm of the American Telemedicine Association, in a letter to the DEA. READ MORE.
Ohio AG Sues Pharmacy Benefit Managers for Collusion
Ohio Attorney General (AG) Dave Yost sued seven pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) last month after it was found that the groups allegedly engaged in collusion to raise drug prices. According to the AG’s press release, large and powerful PBMs used their sway to give preferred placement to companies with high drug list prices, allowing PBMs to trick patients into thinking they are receiving a significant discount. The press release also suggests that PBMs shared pricing data so they could take advantage of government agencies and employers. READ MORE.
FDA Grants Approval for Over-the-Counter Narcan
Last week, the FDA approved over-the-counter sales of Narcan, a drug created by Emergent BioSolutions to reverse opioid overdoses. Emergent expects the drug to hit shelves across the country later this summer.
As of 2021, opioid overdose deaths have topped 80,000, making it one of the leading causes of accidental death in the United States. READ MORE.
CMS Proposes Medicare Hospice Payment Bump
Medicare is introducing a new rule going into effect next year that will cut payments for organizations that don’t submit quality data while increasing payments by as much as 2.8 percent for complying hospices.
“CMS is looking closely at the hospice industry, as we have increasing concerns about fraud, waste, and abuse in this space,” stated a fact sheet on the CMS website. “While this rule takes initial steps, this is part of a larger effort by CMS to address hospice fraud, waste, and abuse that will continue this year.” READ MORE.
WHO Won’t Recommend COVID-19 Boosters for Healthy Patients
The World Health Organization (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization announced new guidance for COVID-19 vaccines that suggests lower-risk groups, including healthy people under 17 years of age, may not need a primary series of vaccines. Additionally, the guidance does not recommend any additional booster dose for healthy adults and children with comorbidities. READ MORE.
