News Briefs

✦ President Donald Trump’s statements touting chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as promising treatments for the new coronavirus has triggered hoarding of the drug and subsequent shortages, the New York Times reported. Those drugs, which have not been approved by the FDA to treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, are typically used to treat malaria, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions. In response to the stockpiling of the drugs, states including Idaho, Kentucky, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas have all issued emergency restrictions or guidelines on how the drugs can be dispensed at pharmacies. Read more at https://nyti.ms/33MdDJu.

✦ A bill has cleared the Kentucky legislature that would require the state’s Medicaid program to pay pharmacies directly for prescription drugs, essentially cutting out the role of PBMs, the Associated Press reported on March 18. CVS Health Corp. is among the major opponents of the measure, with the firm arguing that it’s based on “flawed analysis” and would be a “costly step backwards” for Kentucky. Read more at https://bit.ly/2y6Pkui.

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• Radar on Drug Benefits