Cigna is creating incentive to keep opioid doses low: Dr. Andrew Kolodny from CNBC.
Dr. Andrew Kolodny, co-director of opioid policy research at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy, and Dr. Salim Hayek, University Hospitals pain medicine professor, discuss Cigna offering a new opioid in place of OxyCotin.
Guess what?… the cost to the manufacturer for the active medication in their long acting medications costs very little difference between strengths… we are only talking about MGS.. 20 + yrs ago one manufacturer brought out a high blood pressure medication that came in several strengths and each different strength cost the pharmacy the SAME PER 100 doses… It was a one a day dosing and it was promoted to the prescribers that no matter which strength the pt needed … the pt’s cost would be THE SAME…
So the company that makes Xtampza ER ( Collegium Pharmaceutical) has cut a price deal with Cigna and no matter what strength the pt ends up taking.. the manufacturer will generate about the same profits on each pt. They will just be able to get a dramatic jump in volume of their product that they might not have been able to achieve with just bringing out another long acting, tamper resistant Oxycodone to the market place.
This may be a quantum change in the direction of the pricing of prescription medications… where pharma manufacturers may have to compete on a fixed cost per month for a particular medication… no matter how much/many doses that the pt needs.
Filed under: General Problems
FOLLOW THE MONEY!
Cigna is already “encouraging” their in-network doctors to reduce the number of prescription opioids they write. I’m one of them who was on the receiving end of that … even though they haven’t paid for my medication for over 3 years AFTER paying for the same medication, same amount and same dose for over 8 years.
Google their ridiculous little “opioid pledge they’re having their in-network doctors to sign and pledge to reduce their prescribing of opioids. … “Reduce the number of opioids you’re prescribing or else ..” Meanwhile they remind their doctors that they’ll now be sending “report cards, which compare the doctor’s prescribing “habits” with other area doctors).
Is this not the same as bribery and/or extortion? These scumbags will have to answer to God one of these days. (Thankfully, my pharmacy has made my medication affordable, however, I know there are others who are on expensive medication(s) and can’t afford to pay out-of-pocket. This just boils my blood!