Ask The Pharmacist: Topical vs. Systemic Pain Medication
April 1, 2024
Managing chronic pain with medications can be difficult for various reasons. Pain experiences and treatment effectiveness may differ among individuals and caregivers.
Ask The Pharmacist: The Role of a Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee
March 1, 2024
A Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) committee plays a crucial role in the realm of health care, particularly in the context of a workers’ compensation pharmacy benefit manager (PBM). This committee is comprised of health care professionals, such as physicians and pharmacists, who are responsible for evaluating and making decisions about the formulary—a continually updated list of medications covered by a prescription drug plan.
Closing Loopholes: Tackling Drug Price Inflation in Work Comp
February 22, 2024
Ask The Pharmacist: Risk Assessment for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD)
February 6, 2024
On December 19, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first test (AvertD) that uses DNA in assessing whether certain individuals may have an elevated risk of developing opioid use disorder (OUD).
Ask The Pharmacist: Fixed-Dose Combination Drugs in Workers’ Comp
January 10, 2024
Fixed-dose combination drug products (FDCDPs) are made up of two different drug ingredients in a single formulation, containing a fixed amount of each. Among the more recognizable examples of these are Symbicort (budesonide-formoterol), Suboxone (buprenorphine-naloxone), Treximet (sumatriptan-naproxen), and Tylenol PM (acetaminophen-diphenhydramine). Several FDCDPs for pain management also exist such as Vimovo (naproxen-esomeprazole), Duexis (ibuprofen-famotidine), and Seglentis (celecoxib-tramadol).
Ask The Pharmacist: Steroid Medications in Workers’ Compensation
December 1, 2023
In workers’ comp, steroid medications have often played a role in the management of pain related conditions and joint injuries, either alone or incorporated in “trigger point” injections with an anesthetic medication like lidocaine. They are also used to reduce inflammation in the management of certain lung injuries.
Not All PBMs are Created Equally: Examination the Differences Between Traditional Health Care and Workers’ Compensation
November 15, 2023
Explore the key differences between healthcare and workers' compensation PBMs, and the unique regulatory challenges they face in this detailed analysis.