US Defense Department To Remove Nexium From Prescription Drug Formulary

Main Category: GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology
Article Date: 10 May 2005 - 10:00 PST

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US Department of Defense officials on July 17 will remove the heartburn medication Nexium, a proton pump inhibitor manufactured by... AstraZeneca, from the department's prescription drug formulary to help discourage the use of expensive "me, too" prescription drugs that do not provide more benefits than older treatments, the Washington Post reports. As a result of the move, almost 140,000 active and retired military personnel and their families will not receive coverage for Nexium unless other medications fail. DOD will continue to provide coverage for four other proton pump inhibitors with a $9 copayment per prescription. In addition, military personnel and their families can purchase Nexium prescriptions for $22, as negotiated by DOD, rather the retail price of $120. "Nexium is not worth the money, period," according to Mike Krensavage, a pharmaceutical industry analyst at Raymond James Financial. He added, "It's pretty dubious to pay $4 a pill for Nexium when you can get over-the-counter Prilosec for 67 cents." William Winkenwerder, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said that DOD expects to save "many tens of millions" of dollars annually through the discontinuation of coverage for Nexium. DOD last year spent $5 billion on health care, a 500% increase over the past four years (Connolly, Washington Post, 5/8).

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