BACKGROUND: Patients with comorbid hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are at a high risk of developing macrovascular and microvascular complications of DM. Controlling high blood pressure can greatly reduce these complications. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are recommended for patients with both DM and HTN by the American Diabetes Association guidelines, and their benefit and efficacy in reducing macrovascular and microvascular complications of DM have been well documented. Poor adherence, however, remains a significant barrier to achieving full effectiveness and optimal outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of a brief pharmacist telephone intervention in identifying adherence barriers and improving adherence to ACEI/ARB medications among nonadherent patients with comorbid HTN and DM who are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. METHODS: Cigna-HealthSpring’s medical claims data was used to identify patients with HTN and DM diag...

Opioid misuse causes over 50,000 deaths in America each year. Prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) databases serve as a useful decision analysis tool in managing patients with known or potential opioid use disorder (OUD). To date, however, little research has sought to determine how pharmacists use PDMPs to engage patients with potential OUD. To elicit modal salient beliefs of community pharmacists regarding their willingness to engage patients (i.e., provide interventional counseling) with suspected controlled substance misuse as identified from reviewing PDMP data. Focus groups were conducted among Texas community pharmacists using the theory of planned behavior as a theoretical framework. Open-ended questions were used to capture behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs and control beliefs associated with pharmacists' engagement. Qualitative analysis using ATLAS.ti software was conducted to identify modal salient beliefs elicited by at least 20% of the study sample. A total of 31 community pharmacists participated. Fifteen behavioral beliefs, thirteen normative beliefs and eleven control beliefs were identified as modal salient beliefs. The most prevalent behavioral belief was the disadvantage associated with patient confrontations. Pharmacists also believed that engaging patients may cause loss of customers/business but may help patients receive appropriate counseling. When asked about their normative beliefs, pharmacists identified regulatory agencies (e.g., pharmacy boards, law enforcement) and family/friends of patients as groups of individuals who influence their willingness to refer. Time required for counseling was found to be the most commonly cited control belief. The results illustrate some of the challenges faced by community pharmacists when considering engagement of patients with misuse of prescription opioids. Addressing these barriers to patient engagement is critical to increasing pharmacists' willingness to engage patients with potential OUD.

The increasing number and high prices of orphan drugs have triggered concern among patients, payers, and policymakers about the affordability of new drugs approved using the incentives set by the Orphan Drug Act (ODA) of 1983. This study evaluated the factors associated to the differences in the treatment cost of new orphan and non-orphan drugs approved by the FDA from 2017 to 2021. A generalized linear model (GLM) with the Gamma log-link analysis was used to ascertain the association of drug characteristics with the treatment costs of orphan and non-orphan drugs. The results of the study showed that the median and interquartile range (IQR) drug cost was USD 218,872 (IQR = USD 23,105) for orphan drugs and USD 12,798 (IQR = USD 57,940) for non-orphan drugs (p < 0.001). Higher market entry prices were associated with biologics (108%; p < 0.001), orphan status (177%; p < 0.001), US sponsor companies (48%; p = 0.035), chronic use (1083%; p < 0.001), treatment intent (163%; p = 0.004), and indications for oncology (624%; p < 0.001) or genetic disorders (624%; p < 0.001). Higher market entry treatment cost for newly approved drugs were associated with biologics, orphan status, US sponsor companies, chronic use, therapeutic intent, and indications for oncology or genetic disorders.