Posted by Michael Wonder on 15 Oct 2016
Insurers pay more for multiple sclerosis drug because rebates don’t help, report says
13 October 2016 - Drug makers may offer rebates to payers, but health plans continue to see notable increases in costs for prescription medicines, according to a report by the office of Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.
This has been especially true for one particularly costly group of medicines used to treat multiple sclerosis.
In 2015, the average spending per member each month for all medicines rose 6.1% from 2014, after rebates, among five state health plans that were examined. And average spending increased 21.4% from 2014, after rebates, for five different types of specialty drugs for treating cancer, hepatitis C, HIV, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis.
