Voluntary Drug Recall

PBIRx®
Intelligent Solutions in Pharmacy Benefits
12 Wheelers Farms Road, Milford, CT 06461
(888) 797-2479

Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that they voluntarily recalled Mibelas 24 Fe (Norethindrone Acetate and Ethinyl Estradiol 1mg/0.02 mg chewable and ferrous furnarate 75mg) Tabelts -- Lot L600518 with an expiration date of 5/18.

A packaging error occurred and the weekly tablet orientation has been reversed whereby the first four days of therapy would have had four non-hormonal placebo tablets as opposed to the active tablets.

This product is an oral contraceptive indicated for the prevention of pregnancy.  The products are packaged in blistered packs containing 28 tablets.  

Customers who have these products should contact their physician and return the prescription to the place of purchase.

PBIRx has not only notified its Clients who have members on this drug, but also worked with the client’s various PBMs to be sure that the members are notified.

To view the full announcement, go to https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm560904.htm

PBIRx has been exclusively providing intelligent solutions to clients in the management of pharmacy benefit costs since 1993. With a staff that includes IT personnel, actuaries, financial analysts, clinical pharmacists, attorneys, HIPAA Compliance Officers and many more experts, PBIRx’s mission is to create optimal health care outcomes while minimizing overall health care costs. For more information, please visit www.pbirx.com or call (888) 797-2479.

Auditing PBM Agreements Can Save Money

PBIRx®
Intelligent Solutions in Pharmacy Benefits
12 Wheelers Farms Road, Milford, CT 06461
(888) 797-2479

“Pharmacy” benefit costs in the US are predicted to increase from $323 Billion in 2016 to $580-$610 Billion in 2021 according to a report by QuintilesIMS Holdings, Inc.    

Pharmacy Benefit Managers love when their clients do NOT audit their pharmacy benefit agreement!   This way the creative language in their contracts is not revealed and you pay more and more each month and each year.

Auditing pharmacy claims can generate significant monetary recoveries, while at the same time providing you with the confidence that your current pharmacy benefit financial discounts and guarantees are competitive for 2017.  PBIRx can tell you what parts of your PBM contract are not competitive. PBIRx clients experience a 5%–15% recovery of total drug spend, while at the same time ensuring that the PBM contract financial terms are being adjudicated correctly.

PBIRx®, a pharmacy benefit auditing and consulting corporation with locations in Connecticut and Missouri  since 1993, has the technology, tools, years of experience and experts that can help you recover lost dollars using our AuditRx® technology.   

PBIRx has several references nationwide that will attest to not only the audit recoveries that we facilitate, but also the savings to their pharmacy benefit budget.  Pharmacy Benefit Agreements, whether direct with the PBM, through the health plan carrier (i.e. Anthem, Cigna, Aetna, etc), or through a coalition, state that auditing may be limited to a certain time period (typically the previous 12 months).  Not knowing the period of time that you can audit your pharmacy benefit claims and not reaching out to PBIRx results in a lost recovery opportunity!

Why you should have PBIRx review your Pharmacy Benefit Agreement with no fee:

• To determine if there is a potential pharmacy benefit claims  recovery
• To know if the discounts in the PBM Agreement are actually being adjudicated as stated
• To learn if the financial model (discounts, rebates, guarantees, etc.) is 2017 competitive
• To provide union negotiated pharmacy benefits at a lower cost
• To know if there are other opportunities for savings to reduce costs while maintaining current copays and plan design features in negotiated union contracts
• To be reminded of important dates that could result in lost “time value of money”, i.e. guarantee/rebate remittance, agreement renewal period, non competitive automatic renewals, etc.

PBIRx will provide a courtesy review of your PBM agreement upon request.  Please contact David Sirowich at dsirowich@pbirx.com or call 203-882-1188 to discuss your potential savings in greater detail.  You can also visit our website www.pbirx.com for more information.

PBIRx has been exclusively providing intelligent solutions to clients in the management of pharmacy benefit costs since 1993. With a staff that includes IT personnel, actuaries, financial analysts, clinical pharmacists, attorneys, HIPAA Compliance Officers and many more experts, PBIRx’s mission is to create optimal health care outcomes while minimizing overall health care costs. For more information, please visit www.pbirx.com or call (888) 797-2479.

Glucose Meters and Test Strip Tips for Diabetes Patients

PBIRx®
Intelligent Solutions in Pharmacy Benefits
12 Wheelers Farms Road, Milford, CT 06461
(888) 797-2479

Follow instructions carefully. Glucose meters and test strips are sold with instructions for use. You can call the manufacturer of your device or your health care provider if you have questions.

Ask your health care provider to watch you test yourself to be sure you are using your device correctly.

Do quality control checks of your device. Regularly test your meter using a control solution to make sure the test strips and meter are working properly together.

Understand what the meter display means. Be sure you know how high and low glucose values are displayed on your meter. Sometimes they are displayed as “LO” or “HI” when the glucose level is beyond the range than the meter can measure. Talk to your health care provider if you have questions.

Know which test site gives the most accurate results. 

• Readings from alternate sites—such as your forearm or palm—can be less accurate than fingertip readings when your glucose levels change quickly (like after you eat or during exercise).
• Take a reading from a fingertip if you think your blood glucose is low, especially if results from an alternate test site don’t match how you feel.

Know when and how to clean and disinfect your glucose meter.  Always read and follow the directions in your manual.

Do not use pre-owned or second-hand test strips.

• Test strips should be properly stored to give accurate results. If you buy pre-owned strips, it is hard to know whether the strips were stored properly.
• Test strip vials that have been opened by another person may have small amounts of blood on them, which can put you at risk for infection.
• Pre-owned test strip vials may have been tampered with, which means that they may not be safe to use. (i.e., the expiration dates might have been changed or covered up.)
• Pre-owned strips also may not have been cleared by the FDA for sale in the United States.

Know when to report device problems. In an emergency, call 9-1-1. For non-emergencies, the FDA encourages you to report any issues to MedWatch, the FDA’s voluntary reporting program. (i.e., devices that don’t work, suspected incorrect results, or any other problem with your meter or test strips.)

PBIRx has been exclusively providing intelligent solutions to clients in the management of pharmacy benefit costs since 1993. With a staff that includes IT personnel, actuaries, financial analysts, clinical pharmacists, attorneys, HIPAA Compliance Officers and many more experts, PBIRx’s mission is to create optimal health care outcomes while minimizing overall health care costs. For more information, please visit www.pbirx.com or call (888) 797-2479.