What do a $1,600 custom-made diaper rash treatment, $8,500 scar-reduction cream and a $2,300 pain-relieving salve all have in common? Their price tag, and more often than not, healthcare insurers are left to pick up the expensive bill for compounded medicines, reports the New York Times.
Certain insurers like are taking steps to reign in the spending on compounded drugs. Last year, 's second-largest insurer decided to stop covering compounded drugs because it said the costs and safety concerns posed too great of a risk, FierceHealthPayer previously reported.
Pharmacy benefits managers, like those who own ns, said they will no longer pay for more than 1,000 ingredients used in compounding, noting that such spending grew to $171 million in the first quarter of this year, compared to the $28 million in the first quarter of 2012, notes the Times. and pla
There are many factors that attribute to the rising costs of ingredients used to create the drugs. For one, doctors are moving away from traditional drugs, like painkillers, and are using ointments and creams, noting it provides a more direct relief without entering the bloodstream, according to the Times.
What's more, there is little evidence that such creams contain safe ingredients. Many states are looking to control spending on compounded drugs in workers' compensation as well--Ohio set a limit of $600 per prescription.
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