Cost Disparities Complicate Efforts to Exempt Topical Analgesics From UR

Some members of the committee advising the California Division of Workers’ Compensation on its prescription drug formulary would like to fast-track certain topical analgesics by exempting them from utilization review. Doing so, however, will require more analysis of the different prices for similar products and how to protect against bad actors who might game the system by prescribing the most expensive formulations, according to a discussion during the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee meeting Wednesday. The P&T Committee advises the division on evidence-based changes to the for...