Without calling out any drug companies by name, the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General revealed this week that 10 potentially misclassified drugs may have resulted in $1.3 billion in lost rebates to Medicaid between 2012 and 2016. The issue of ducking rebates came to the public’s attention earlier this […]
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
Mylan inks $465m settlement with DOJ over EpiPen Medicaid classification
Mylan (NSDQ:MYL) said today that it inked a $465 million deal with U.S. Dept. of Justice to settle claims that it misclassified its EpiPen allergy auto-injector device with the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program. In October last year, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said that Mylan had been overcharging Medicaid for its EpiPen device for years, […]
Kentucky doc gets jail time for bad opioid prescription habits & Medicaid fraud
Dr. George Kudmani, an OB/GYN from Kentucky, was sentenced to 4 years in prison this week after a federal jury ruled that he was guilty of inappropriately doling out opioids and Medcaid fraud. The jury found Kudmani guilty of 19 counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances and 8 counts of health care fraud. After Kudmani serves his […]
Trump proposes deep cuts to Medicaid, NIH funding
President Donald Trump’s proposed budget would slash Medicaid funding and cut support for major biomedical research programs at the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. The budget blueprint drew condemnation from healthcare advocates and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. Senate majority whip Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) reportedly said earlier […]
EpiPen purchasers level class action against Mylan over price hikes
Mylan (NSDQ:MYL) was hit with another class action lawsuit over the price of its EpiPen device yesterday. The lawsuit, which was filed in the Washington Western District Court, alleges that Mylan engaged in a scheme with pharmacy benefit managers to dominate the market and overcharge customers. Although the Canonsburg, Penn.-based company has been hit with several lawsuits […]
CMS updates on criteria for Dexcom G5 coverage
Shares in DexCom Inc. (NSDQ:DXCM) jumped 9% today after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services updated the criteria for coverage of the company’s G5 Mobile continuous glucose monitor. The device is the only therapeutic CGM classified as durable medical equipment under Medicare Part B. Patients covered by Medicare who have Type I or II diabetes and […]
Mylan recalls 81,000 EpiPens over reports of device failure
Mylan (NSDQ:MYL) recalled 81,000 EpiPen emergency allergy auto-injectors this week after receiving 2 reports that the device failed to work in emergencies. The recall affects devices in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and Japan, the company reported. Canonsburg, Penn.-based Mylan said that in both cases, patients received treatment using an alternate EpiPen. The drugmaker also said that it […]
Senate confirms Verma to head CMS as debate intensifies over Obamacare replacement
The U.S. Senate voted yesterday 55-43 to confirm Seema Verma to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Verma is the founder & CEO of SVC Inc, a healthcare consulting firm, and worked with now-Vice President Mike Pence when he was governor of Indiana to redesign the state’s Medicaid program. Get the full story […]
CMS nominee Verma: Mylan’s EpiPen case ‘disturbing’
Seema Verma, the nominee to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, said at her confirmation hearing that she would like to review the way pharmaceutical companies classify products as generic or branded, citing the case of Mylan‘s (NSDQ:MYL) EpiPen emergency allergy device. Mylan faced criticism this year for classifying EpiPen as a generic and paying smaller rebates to Medicaid […]
Dexcom surges on Medicare nod for continuous glucose monitors
DexCom (NSDQ:DXCM) said yesterday that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid classified therapeutic continuous glucose monitors as durable medical equipment under Medicare Part B. The company’s Dexcom G5 Mobile is the only CGM system that falls under this classification, according to San Diego, Calif.-based DexCom, since patients can make treatment decisions using the device. DXCM […]
