19
Fitzgerald Health Education Associates, Inc., May 2015 fhea.com
costs reached $100,000 or more:
• More than a third were being treated for 10 or
more different health conditions
• Approximately 60% took 10 or more different
medications
• Approximately 72% had prescriptions written
from at least four prescribers.
Depression was one of the most common comor-
bidities among patients with more than $50,000 in
annual costs; one-third had at least one prescription
for an antidepressant in addition to their other ther-
apies. The prevalence of antidepressant use among
patients taking a specialty medication was 2.3 times
higher compared with the national average.
The Express Scripts report "Super Spending:
Trends in High-Cost Medication Use" was released on
May 13, 2015, and is available here:
Proposed FDA Rule To Address Data
Gaps for Some Ingredients in Antiseptics
The FDA issued a proposed rule seeking additional
data to support the safety and effectiveness of cer-
tain active ingredients used in healthcare antiseptics
marketed under the over-the-counter drug mono-
graph. The FDA recommends that healthcare per-
sonnel continue to use these products consistent
with infection control guidelines while additional
data are gathered. Based on new scientific informa-
tion and concerns expressed by outside scientific
and healthcare experts on an FDA advisory commit-
tee, the FDA is requesting additional data to demon-
strate that healthcare antiseptics in the over-the-
counter drug monograph are generally recognized
News Briefs
C
ontinued from page 17
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