Drug Channels News Roundup: February 2012

Time for my monthly look at noteworthy news stories from hither and yonder throughout the Drug Channels universe. I hope these articles keep you busy during your extra leap day tomorrow.

In this issue:

• More Dirty Docs—A new diversion cancer drug story
• AARP vs. PBMs—A new target?
• Specialty Pharmacy—A worthwhile roundtable discussion

Plus, the British Medical Journal publishes a peer-reviewed scientific research paper that analyzes "whether the acute consumption of cannabis (cannabinoids) by drivers increases the risk of a motor vehicle collision." Can you guess the shocking answer?

Drug supplier admits distributing unapproved foreign medications 
Here’s another sad story of physicians who are supporting criminal behavior in the U.S. drug supply chain. According to this story of an unlicensed distributor: “The company sent ads to doctors offering big discounts — an average of 40 percent — on expensive drugs while requesting that the doctors keep the price list ‘confidential.’” And the really sick part? “Federal court documents here say that as many as 60 doctors bought unapproved chemotherapy drugs.” As I wrote in Greedy Physicians Invite Fake Avastin Into the Supply Chain, that's just foolish, irresponsible, and unethical behavior by medical practices.

Off the Patent Cliff
The AARP continues to go after pharmaceutical companies by pumping out misleading drug price studies. (See Myths and Facts about Drug Prices for background.) Now, AARP is turning its attention to PBMs by focusing on Pfizer’s Lipitor post-LOE managed care contracting strategies. What’s particularly amusing is the way that an independent pharmacy group (PUTT) and the PBM trade association (PCMA) both seem united in their dislike of pharmaceutical manufacturers’ tactics. The enemy of my enemy is my friend?

Specialty Pharmacy Roundtable 2011
Check out Drug Store News’ informative discussion with executives from major specialty pharmacies. There is an especially good back-and-forth conversation on channel management strategies and the coming convergence of specialty and retail pharmacy sectors, a topic covered in the 2011-12 Economic Report on Retail and Specialty Pharmacies. One quibble: The participants are seated at a long, straight table.

Acute cannabis consumption and motor vehicle collision risk: systematic review of observational studies and meta-analysis
Yes, this is a legitimate scientific paper. The completely unexpected conclusion? “Acute cannabis consumption is associated with an increased risk of a motor vehicle crash, especially for fatal collisions.” LOL! Dude, where’s my car?