ClearLine MD said today that it won CE Mark approval for its ClearLine IV product line that prevents air from being introduced into intravenous lines. During IV infusion, ClearLine’s device detects air in the IV line using ultrasound and then removes the air to allow the fluid to flow continuously. Air embolisms can cause long-term clinical […]
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
Federal watchdog to investigate CMS drug rebate program
The Office of the Inspector General of the Health and Human Services Departments said last week that it will begin investigating whether the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services properly monitors its Medicaid Drug Rebate Program. The investigation comes after CMS reported that Mylan (NSDQ:MYL) underpaid Medicaid by not paying appropriate rebates. The Canonsburg, Penn.-based company said […]
CMS pinpoints cost-driving drugs in newly released data
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released 5 years of pricing data for a list of more than 5,000 drugs this week. The data illustrate that a handful of cost-driving drugs experienced price hikes in 2015, which cost taxpayers millions in added Medicare spending. The price of some drugs went up almost 500%, with name-brand […]
CMS acting chief Slavitt slams drug pricing
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services acting chief Andy Slavitt admonished pharma companies like Mylan (NSDQ:MYL) over unsustainable price increases before the Biopharma Congress in Washington D.C. last week. Mylan came under fire this year after reports showed that the Canonsburg, Penn.-based company raised the price of its emergency allergy epinephrine injector by 500% since it acquired the product in 2007 […]
EpiPen price hike cost Pentagon millions
Mylan Pharmaceuticals‘ (NSDQ:MYL) 500% price increase on its epinephrine auto-injector cost the U.S Defense Dept. millions, according to data provided to Reuters. The Pentagon spent $57 million on Mylan’s EpiPen last year, up from $9 million in 2008, largely driven by volume and price hikes that affected prescriptions filled at retail pharmacies. Although the Pentagon gets a government discount […]
Mylan settles EpiPen pricing probe with $465m
Mylan (NSDQ:MYL) last week agreed to pay $465 million to settle claims that it underpaid Medicaid for its EpiPen auto-injector by misclassifying the device as a generic. Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it spent $797 million on the emergency allergy treatment between 2011 and 2015, including rebates. The Canonsburg, Pa.-based company has […]
CMS finds Mylan overcharged Medicaid for EpiPens for years
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said this week that Mylan Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ:MYL) has been overcharging Medicaid for its EpiPen auto-injector for years, despite being warned that it should have paid bigger rebates. CMS said that between 2011 and 2015, Medicaid spent $797 million on the epinephrine auto-injector after deducting rebates, marking the 1st […]
Bard, Medtronic win Medicare reimbursement add-on for DCBs
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) and C.R. Bard (NYSE:BCR) said today that angioplasty treatments with drug-coated balloons will now be eligible for new technology add-on payments through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under Medicare’s hospital impatient prospective payment systems. The add-on payment, with a maximum of $1,036, will help cover additional costs for treating patients for peripheral artery disease with […]
