Court OKs Michigan Medicaid Rx program. (Medicaid, Rx Drugs).(Michigan may obtain deep discounts from prescription-drug manufacturers for Medicaid, state programs)

Publication: Medicine & Health

Bookmark this article Print this article Link to this article Email this article Digg It! Add to del.icio.us RSS

COPYRIGHT 2003 Eli Research, Inc.

Michigan may go forward with its effort to obtain deep discounts from prescription-drug manufacturers for Medicaid and other state programs, a Washington, D.C. federal trial court judge ruled March 28. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the drag industry trade association which challenged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' approval of Michigan's "Best Practices Initiative," plans to appeal.

Under the initiative, a committee of experts designates at least two "best-in-class" drugs in each of about 40 therapeutic classes. Physicians may prescribe those drugs freely to Medicaid enrollees.

But physicians must receive prior state authorization before prescribing non-best-in-class drugs, unless the...

Read the full article for free courtesy of your local library.