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This Week in Managed Care: August 15, 2015
CVS stunned the healthcare community this week with the announcement that it will wait for the FDA to approve a second PCSK9 inhibitor before it negotiates prices and there has been renewed attention on the need for enforcement of the federal parity law for mental health.
The top story in managed care came CVS, which surprised the healthcare community when it announced it would await the approval of a second PCSK9 inhibitor before it negotiated pricing for this new class of drugs. Sanofi and Regeneron's alirocumab was approved July 24 and Amgen's evolucumab comes up for approval on August 27. The cholesterol-lowering therapy could be the most costly class of medications if it is used broadly, according to William Shrank, MD, chief scientific officer of CVS.
In recent weeks, there has been renewed attention to the need for enforcement of the federal parity law for mental health. While primary care can often be the first stop for those in need of mental health treatment, but the stigma of asking for help can prevent patients from seeking care, explained John Santopietro, MD, of the Carolinas Health System.
Finally, attend The American Journal of Managed Care's Patient-Centered Oncology Care meeting in Baltimore, November 19-20, and learn more about how FDA regulation will affect precision medicine in the future. For our agenda and registration, visit the meetings page here.
