Speaker: Beth L. Nordstrom, PhD, Epidemiologist, Ingenix Epidemiology, Aburndale, Massachusetts In a large population of patients with influenza, treatment with oseltamivir (Drug Tamiflu, Hoffman-LaRoche Ltd.) was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of pneumonia. Several clinical studies showed that oseltamivir was up to 92% effective in preventing influenza in adolescents, adults, and elderly [...]

Continue reading " Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy: Reduced Risk of Pneumonia in Influenza Patients Treated with Oseltamivir "

Single-Dose Azithromycin Microsphere Formulation for Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Bronchitis Speaker: Marcus J. Zervos, MD, Infectious Diseases Specialist, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan, and Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan A single dose of a novel formulation of azithromycin micro-spheres (Pfizer) has proved to be as effective as a seven-day course of [...]

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Under the MMA, state Medicaid programs are likely to lose their clinical responsibility for the prescription management of their dually eligible members. Some states are pushing to have continued access to their clinical information through a relationship with the Medicare PDPs. This information is required to determine adherence as well as appropriate medication usage. The [...]

Continue reading " A Real Y2K for Medicaid P&T Committees: SUPERVISION OF MEDICARE DRUG PLANS "

For several reasons, access to medications for dual eligibles will be more limited under the new plan than under their state’s Medicaid program. For instance, under federal law, states that provide prescription coverage are required to cover “most” FDA-approved drugs for all manufacturers that have entered into an agreement with the Secretary of the Department [...]

Continue reading " A Real Y2K for Medicaid P&T Committees: ACCESS TO MEDICATIONS "

Medicaid now consumes more resources than any other state program; this is a significant point, because education expenditures have been surpassed for the first time in many states. This is occurring at the same time that the U.S. Congress has established the Medicaid Commission to examine and recommend policy changes to reduce the federal government’s [...]

Continue reading " A Real Y2K for Medicaid P&T Committees: FUTURE DIRECTION OF MEDICAID PROGRAMS "

Many of us in the health care field still remember midnight on December 31, 1999, because we were up well past our bedtimes waiting for massive computer failures and utter chaos to befall our health systems—an event that, thankfully, never occurred. Unfortunately, those of us who are involved with Medicaid P&T committees will not experience [...]

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To our knowledge, this was the largest administrative data­base evaluation of off-label rFVIIa usage conducted to date. The most remarkable finding is that more than 89% of rFVIIa pre­scribed during the 4.3-year study period was for off-label indi­cations. In addition, prescribing practices varied considerably, with many clinical specialists prescribing rFVIIa for off-label use.

Continue reading " Recombinant Activated Human Factor VII (NovoSeven): DISCUSSION "