Today’s guest post comes from Anndi McAfee, a successful voice over artist. Check out her impressive IMDB credits. Your kids have definitely heard her voice.

Anndi also suffers from a rare disease and requires treatment with an orphan drug. Below, she shares her troubling experiences with SaveonSP, the mysterious company behind Express Scripts’ copay maximizer program. (ICYMI, I profiled SaveonSP in May.)

Anndi’s story illustrates how a patient taking a specialty drug can lose out, even as others—her health plan, its PBM, and a sketchy intermediary—profit from a manufacturer’s patient support funds. I suspect that very few patients with similarly complex diseases are as savvy and persistent as Anndi has been.

Read on for her disturbing story. You can reach Anndi via her professional page or on LinkedIn.

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ICYMI, House Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR) and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) recently asked for input on how to improve the 340B Drug Pricing Program. Comments were due last Friday (October 30).

Your friendly neighborhood blogger submitted an 11-page letter, which you can read below. I shared my $0.02 on the overall market, explained channel distortions from 340B contract pharmacies, and offered some policy recommendations.

For your reference, I also include links to published comments from the American Hospital Association and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

The new Congress has an ambitious agenda. Let’s hope modernizing 340B gets on the do list. Read more »

        

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Last week, I highlighted the largest pharmacy chains that will participate in the 2021 Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (PDP).

Today, I examine how independent pharmacies will participate as preferred cost sharing pharmacies via the pharmacy services administrative organizations (PSAOs) that represent these pharmacies in negotiations with plans.

As you will see here, some PSAOs are rejecting preferred networks, while others are participating cautiously. There are notable differences in strategy between the PSAOs operated by AmerisourceBergen and McKesson. Details and a handy scorecard below.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) continues to take a hands-off approach to pharmacy networks. One notable consequence: Independent pharmacies have formed their own Part D plan, in which only independents are preferred. We’ll know in January if the new plan is sitting pretty—or on a bed of nails.

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Rare Disease Innovation and Partnering Summit 2020

December 1-4, 2020 | Virtual Event

www.raredisease-summit.com

This December, tackle challenges faced in ensuring patient access and furthering therapeutic and curative progress at the Rare Disease Innovation & Partnering Summit. Held in a 100% virtual format, this four-day meeting convenes diverse stakeholders to discuss opportunities for continued innovation, advancement of impactful patient advocacy and acceleration of commercial strategy success. Benefit from live sessions, keynotes and panels, plus a library of on-demand sessions ready to watch as your schedule allows. All sessions are available for viewing for 30 days post event.

Visit www.raredisease-summit.com for further details and to register. Drug Channels readers will save $200 off the standard rate when they use code ZZX688 and register prior to November 13th.*

You can download the complete agenda here.

Unparalleled Insights, Impactful Keynotes and Luminary Addresses from Industry Trailblazers, including:

• Patient Perspective – Chasing My Cure
  
  David Fajgenbaum, M.D., Co-founder and Executive Director, CASTLEMAN DISEASE COLLABORATIVE NETWORK

• Technology Spotlight – Using AI to Speed Discovery and New Treatments
  
  Tim Guilliams, Founder, CEO, HEALX LTD

• Scientific Luminary – Targeting the Morphological Impact of Disease
  
  Marzieh Haghighi, PH.D., Postdoctoral Associate, BROAD INSTITUTE OF HARVARD MIT

• Novel Funding – Accelerate Rare Disease Therapeutic Development
  
  Andrew Lo, Ph.D., Charles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor, MIT SLOAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

• FDA Address – Navigating Regulatory Pathways and Evidentiary Requirements
  
  Kerry Jo Lee, MD, Acting Associate Director for Rare Diseases, FDA/CDER/OND

PLUS! Hear from the most innovative industry organizations, including Acceleron, Alexion, Alkeus Pharmaceuticals, Argenx, Biogen, Castle Creek Biosciences, Centogene, Collaborations Pharmaceuticals, Foundation Medicine, Perseo Pharma, Relypsa, Sanofi Genzyme and more.

        

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Halloween is truly scary this year. Since we can’t trick-or-treat, spend some time with our spooky roundup of Drug Channels news stories:

• Creepy! UnitedHealthcare expects physicians to enforce its copay accumulator policy

• Vampiric! How GoodRx sucks money from the channel

• Shocking! 340B haunts even more of the industry than you envisaged

Plus, a scary reason to be cheerful: Chances are 50/50 that we are living in a simulation!

P.S. Stretch out your arm and join the zombie horde who shamble after me at @DrugChannels on Twitter. My recent tweets have highlighted: UnitedHealth’s DivvyDose acquisition, independent analyses of Rutledge vs. PCMA, importation problems in Wyoming and Florida, Medicaid enrollment, fake news from NASHP, and unexpected public policy cameos by Drug Channels. (You can also join my followers on LinkedIn.)

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In Preferred Pharmacy Networks Dominate in 2021 Medicare Part D Plans, I highlighted how those networks will again rule next year’s Part D prescription drug plans (PDP).

Today, I examine the largest retail chains’ participation in the 27 major 2021 Part D preferred networks that the nine largest plan sponsors will offer. 

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GTN 2020 – Informa Connect – CBI’s Gross-to-Net Summit

November 16-18, 2020 | Virtual Event

www.informaconnect.com/gtn

Join the life sciences community next month at Informa Connect – CBI’s GTN Summit, now in the 10th year. The event is being held virtually November 16-18, 2020 and is designed to position your organization for success in the end-to-end management of GTN. Benefit from live expert panels, presentations and summits, live polling and Q&A, and a library of on-demand content for you to watch as your schedule allows. All presentations will be available for viewing for 30 days after the event concludes!

Visit www.informaconnect.com/gtn for further details and to register. Drug Channels readers will save $300 off the standard rate when they use code GNB425 and register prior to October 30th.*

You can download the complete agenda here.

You’ll hear perspectives from companies such as ADC Therapeutics, Alkermes, Amgen, Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cipla Therapeutics, Deloitte & Touche LLP, Eisai US, Eli Lilly & Co, IntegriChain, Intra-Cellular Therapies, MyoKardia, Paratek Pharmaceuticals and Teva Pharmaceuticals. Our speakers are all ready to share their insights into strategic forecasting, accounting estimates, analytics and finance reporting strategies, specifically for life science companies.

Hot topics on the agenda include GTN Process and Governance, Managed Care and Payer Contracting, Market Changes and GTN Implications, Digital Finance and Robotics within GTN, Advanced Data and Analytics for Pricing and Payer Contracts, GTN Automation for Improved Forecasting, GTN Assumptions for New Product Launches, Medicare Part D and Coverage Gap, 340B and GP Programs, Managed Care and Specialty Product Rebates, Commercial and Government Chargebacks, Product Returns, Copay/Coupon Programs, and so much more!

Download the agenda to plan your sessions and wrap up your week armed with critical updates and valuable takeaways.

Visit www.informaconnect.com/gtn for further details and to register. Drug Channels readers will save $300 off the standard rate when they use code GNB425 and register prior to October 30th.*

Informa Connect-CBI will see you there!

*Cannot be combined with other offers or used towards a current registration. Cannot be combined with special category rates, clinic/hospital rates, non-profit rates other offers. Other restrictions may apply.

The content of Sponsored Posts does not necessarily reflect the views of Pembroke Consulting, Inc., Drug Channels, or any of its employees.

        

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Today’s guest post comes from Jason Zemcik, Senior Director, Product Management and Rick Fry, Senior Vice President, Commercial Solutions, at TrialCard.

Jason and Rick discuss the use of copay accumulators for drugs covered under a patient’s medical benefit. 

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Below is a brief video primer on a hot Drug Channels topic. I review:

• The growth of the 340B Drug Pricing Program

• The role and expansion of 340B contract pharmacies

• How 340B intersects with the Medicaid drug rebate program

• Challenges with duplicate discounts

This 10 minute video provides a quick and efficient primer on the key issues. Grab some popcorn and enjoy!

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