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DRUG BENEFIT STRATEGIES

The Rx Benefits Coalition is pleased to present the fourth in its series of six luncheon forums on Capitol Hill to discuss the structure of market-based prescription drug services. The May 20th luncheon will focus on generics.

Drug spend has increased significantly over the last few years as the result of increased prices for new drugs coming to market and the increased utilization of prescription drugs. As drug spend has increased, managers of prescription drug benefit programs have turned increasingly to generic prescription drugs to contain drug spend.

Managers of prescription drug benefit programs have worked with health plans, including employer and union sponsored plans, to develop programs that encourage acceptance and use of generic prescription drugs while assuring that consumers have access to quality prescription drug benefits.

Our presenters at the May 20th luncheon will discuss cost-effectiveness of utilizing generic prescription drugs, the current and projected use of generic drugs, and innovative programs developed by managers of prescription drug benefit programs that promote the proper use of generic prescription drugs by educating physicians, pharmacists and consumers on the safety and efficacy of bio-equivalent generics as well as the resulting cost savings.

DATE:	Monday, May 20th
TIME:	12:00 noon - 1:00 p.m.
PLACE:	Room 189, Russell Senate Office Building
AGENDA:	Generics: Reducing Consumer Costs With the Appropriate Use of Generics

Moderator: Anne Canfield, President, Canfield & Associates, Inc.

Presenter: Stanley S. Wallack, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Schneider Institute For Health Policy, Member of the Faculty of Brandeis University

Presenter: Raulo Frear, Vice President of Clinical Affairs, Express Scripts

Presenter: Donna T. Whiteford, Vice President, Health Business - Physician Relations, Merck-Medco Managed Care, LLC

The luncheon forum schedule is –

Monday, April 8th--	“The Value of Pharmaceuticals and Pharmaceutical Care Services”
Monday, April 22nd --	"Safety First: How Prescription Drug Benefit Services Enhance Patient Safety"
Monday, May 6th --	"Formularies: Fact and Fiction"
Monday, May 20th --	"Generics: Reducing Consumer Costs With the Appropriate Use of Generics"
Monday, June 3rd--	"Disease Management: Improving Patient Health Through Innovation, Collaboration, and Intervention"
Monday, June 17th --	"In Your Mailbox: Safety, Savings, and Convenience With Home Delivery of Medicines"

 

The Rx Benefits Coalition represents a diverse group of employers and other payers and providers of prescription benefits committed to ensuring that consumers have access to safe and affordable prescription drug services through the use of proven market-based innovations in pharmaceutical care.