Now that the federal gover nment is paying a significant portion of prescription drug expenses for the elderly, it is considered fraudulent for pharmaceutical companies to use incentives to encourage the use of expensive branded products. Attention is being focused on pharmaceutical patient assistance programs (PAPs) and pharmacy rebates.
Unfortunately, Medicare beneficiaries and the PDPs that serve them are not the only ones who might be benefiting from the $740 billion expansion of the Medicare program. Medicare fraud involves cheating either the federal government or the beneficiaries. Perhaps the worst form of fraud affects these frail elders, who can hardly afford to be cheated. This dishonesty is appearing in the form of identity theft, selling products that people do not need, or changing the product after people have selected the plan. The manner in which the CMS chose to implement the Medicare Part D program is partly to blame for the relative ease with which the unscrupulous can cheat senior citizens.
INTRODUCTION
Now that the Medicare Part D program has begun, attention is being focused on maintaining the integrity of this complex program. Because the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003 represents the largest expansion of Medicare since the program’s inception approximately 40 years ago, it is inevitable that not everyone involved with Medicare Part D will have a positive experience adapting to the changes.
Manufacturer: Pfizer, New York, NY Indication: Varenicline is indicated as an aid in smoking cessation.
Drug Class: As the tartrate salt, varenicline is a white to off-white to slightly yellow solid powder with the chemical name of 7,8,9,10-tetrahydro-6,10-methano-6H-pyrazino [2,3-h][3]benzazepine, (2R,3R)-2,3-dihydroxybutanedioate (1:1). It is not a controlled substance.
Manufacturer: GlaxoSmithKline, Research Triangle Park, NC
Indication: Generic Bupropion XL extended-release tablets are now approved to prevent major depressive episodes in adult patients with a history of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Drug Class: This antidepressant of the amino ketone class is not chemically related to tricyclic and tetracyclic agents, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), or other known antidepressant agents. Its structure closely resembles that of diethylpropion; it is related to phenylethylamines. It is designated as (±)-1-(3-chlorophenyl)-2-[(1,1-dimethylethyl) amino]-1-propanone HCl.
Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus (Types 6, 11, 16, 18) Recombinant Vaccine (Gardasil)
Manufacturer: Merck & Company, Whitehouse Station, NJ
Indication: This vaccine is intended for the prevention of cervical cancer and genital warts (condyloma acuminata) caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6, 11, 16, and 18, in girls and women nine to 26 years of age. It is not indicated for existing infections. The vaccine also protects against the following precancerous or dysplastic lesions: Read More…
We found that the lower the baseline hemoglobin level, the more likely a patient was to respond to epoetin. It is possible that the patients with lower baseline hemoglobin levels had a greater degree of erythropoietin deficiency. Studies have shown that low baseline endogenous erythropoietin levels are associated with an epoetin response. However, endogenous erythropoietin levels are not routinely checked at our facility.
