The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge: Access, Affordability & the Pharmacist’s Role | TWIRx

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You are listening to the global network of podcasters dedicated to the pharmacy profession. Welcome to the Pharmacy Podcast Network.

SPEAKER_1 (1:41)

This is TWIRx.

Tyler Yuri (1:42)

We're TWIRx in the works.

Got the brand now. I got the brand, the brand. We're talking about branding. You guys have trademarks. Do you have any brand that you're trying to protect? I learned the hard way about not protecting my brand. But big announcement out on LinkedIn this week. We trademarked finally the Pharmacy Podcast Network. So that's pretty cool, right?

SPEAKER_1 (2:22)

Let's get back to TWIRx.

Tyler Yuri (2:24)

Let's celebrate that.

SPEAKER_2 (2:30)

Thank you.

Tyler Yuri (2:31)

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Hey, welcome to TWIRx. My name is Tyler, a host of TWIRx, This Week in Pharmacy, the host of other podcasts. But I don't want to be hosts anymore. So shout out to you, you pharmacists out there and you pharmacy technicians out there. We are recruiting hosts for 2027 We're going to be building some new shows. We'd like collaboration. We want you to be a part of it. It's why we are the number one podcasting platform in the world for the pharmacy industry. It's because of you and you're driving some of the best content out there. And we want you to come and be part of the network. So if you thought of podcasting, if you thought of being part of something, maybe you don't want to run your own podcast. Maybe you want to be part of a bigger network. As we have so many people that are part of this network, it's been wild. I'm inviting you. Reach out to me. Send me an e-mail. My last name is Yuri. It's spelled E-U-R-Y at pharmacypodcast.com. Once again, that's Yuri at pharmacypodcast.com.

We're going to get into a lot today. We have Dr. Hamilton that's coming on from Buzz Health. You're not going to want to miss that interview. A very interesting discussion on how AI is really transforming treatment management. And we're going to hear from Megan Urban from Outcomes, who is one of our sponsors for today's TWIRx. But first, TWIRx News. TWIRx News is up. Medicare Part D paid nearly $588 million for ineligible over-the-counter drugs. And a federal audit estimates that Medicare Part D plans made approximately $588 million in improper payments between 2021 and 2023 for five medications that had transitioned from prescription to over-counter status. Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General attributed the problem partly to outdated FDA data and the absence of a clear CMS deadline for plans to stop covering affected products. CMS agreed with the recommendations to establish stronger rejection procedures. I find this really interesting. Exposing a major coordination problem in the federal government. That in and of itself is not a surprise. The FDA labeling is an issue. Manufacturer responsibilities in communicating to CMS and Part D claims processing. Read more about that on Fierce Healthcare article. The link will be in the show notes. Next up on TWIRx News, FDA and manufacturers respond to Estrital Patch Supply Pressure supply issues. And the FDA is working with six manufacturers to increase suppliers of the transdermal patches following a sharp rise in demand. Manufacturers are adding shifts, increasing batch sizes, expanding specialized production capacity. Although FDA has not declared a national shortage, availability varies considerably by product, pharmacy, and geographic areas. Pharmacists under pressure again, because it's the patient at the counter that's looking at you and glaring at you, and they're all pissed off because they would like their patch. And they're serving as the conduit of information. Shout out to our pharmacists and technicians as the front line supply chain creates problems for you, helping patients to locate those products and communicate with prescribers. Just look to organizations like Value Drug, Key Source, reach out to them, ask them questions about supply. You might be surprised and try to stay ahead of it. But I feel bad for you guys this week in pharmacy because you just have additional added pressures. And now it's the Estrital Patch issue. Hey, we have next up on TWIRx News and oh, that last article was from Reuters. I'll have that link in the show notes.