Latest Round of Formulary Revisions Focuses on Chronic Pain

Opioid antidote naloxone has been added to the California workers’ comp formulary as a drug that is exempt from prospective utilization review, in just one of dozens of changes to the formulary that will take effect Oct. 1. Two brand name forms of naloxone are included on the revised drug list -- the pricey Evzio auto-injector and the less expensive Narcan nasal spray. However, the brand name drugs are listed just for reference purposes. Under the formulary regulation, brand name drugs are not exempt from prospective review requirements when a therapeutically equivalent generic is ava...