During the State of the Union address, President Biden announced the “test to treat” initiative to allow patients to get tested for the coronavirus at pharmacies and, if positive, receive oral antiviral pills immediately at no cost [”White House ‘test to treat’ plan garners praise, raises questions,” Politics & the Nation, March 5]. This is an important acknowledgment of pharmacy accessibility and capability, and I commend the administration’s recognition of pharmacy and its value to public health. As we now know, timely testing and treatment are essential to curb the spread and reduce hospitalizations. Though this initiative is a positive step forward, we must address the legislative hurdles that will challenge the long-term viability of the “test to treat” model. First, the [...]

(Lansing, Mich.) – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law today House Bill 4348, pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform, just under a year after it was introduced. Michigan now joins 40 other states that are making serious advances in reigning in these powerful healthcare middlemen. The bill was authored by the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) and was considered one of the most comprehensive PBM reform bills in the nation when it was introduced. The bill saw quick movement through the House of Representatives, where it passed out of committee and was approved two weeks later by a vote of 97-10. The legislation sat for nearly two months before committee hearings began in the Senate.  MPA, the voice of pharmacy in Michigan, was the first [...]

DELTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday signed bipartisan bills into law that are designed to reduce prescription drug costs by regulating pharmacy benefit managers that oversee coverage for employers, insurers and others. Parts of the laws took effect immediately while others, including licensing requirements and bans on “spread pricing” and “gag clauses,” begin in 2024. Whitmer said the changes, which were recommended by a task force she created in 2020, will improve transparency and ensure that Michigan residents “have access to all the information about the back-end cost and profit of their prescription medication. This will help lower inflated prices.” She signed the legislation at a Lansing-area Meijer where she was joined by Republican and Democratic [...]

Johnson & Johnson has temporarily suspended production of its COVID-19 vaccine while it pursues a potentially lucrative vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus, which takes the lives of approximately 14,000 older adults in America each year. U.S. officials acknowledge that the company was transparent about its plans for the facility in Leiden, the Netherlands, from the start — plans that include resuming manufacturing of the COVID vaccine after a few months. J&J has assured that it has millions of ready doses in inventory to keep the supply chain moving until then, but there are outside concerns that the stoppage will disrupt delivery to the developing nations that desperately rely on the product for its lower cost and manageable storage requirements. Other [...]

CMS Developing Initiative to Enable Access to Eight Free Over-the-Counter COVID-19 Tests for Medicare Beneficiaries in Early Spring   As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to expand Americans’ access to free testing, people in either Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage will be able to get over- the-counter COVID-19 tests at no cost starting in early spring. Under the new initiative, Medicare beneficiaries will be able to access up to eight over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per month for free. Tests will be available through eligible pharmacies and other participating entities. This policy will apply to COVID-19 over-the-counter tests approved or authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This is the first time that Medicare has covered an over-the-counter [...]