In Utah, Generic Antidepressants Now Easier to Obtain
The generic prescription drug program of Regence BlueCross/BlueShield in Utah said on Monday that people who are being prescribed antidepressants for the first time need prior authorization in order to be prescribed brand name antidepressants, but can obtain generic antidepressants without the prior authorization.
The program does not require prior authorization for patients already being prescribed antidepressant medications. Prior authorization means that the brand name medicine must be approved by Regence under the patient’s individual drug plan. According to the press release using a generic antidepressant could save about $50 a month on the cost of medication.
Regence is a not-for-profit company. They formed a Pharmacy Benefit Program (PBP) in 2000 to oversee the prescription program. The name of the program is RegencyRx, and it as well as Regence is non-profit, rare for Pharmacy Benefit Programs - at least according to the press release.
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David Clark, the Vice President of Medical Services as well as VP of the Pharmacy was quoted as saying: “Evidence indicates that most antidepressants are equally effective when comparable doses are used.” He pointed out the efficacy of the program in encouraging generic antidepressants for first time antidepressant users. Clark also explained the concept of generic drugs and how they must have equivalent active ingredients and effectiveness to the brand named drugs in order to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He further explained that antidepressants and the literature and data surrounding their use had been researched thoroughly before the prior authorization program was put into effect.
Clark said that the generic drugs suggested for treatment for depression by RegencyRx have good track records. Fluvoxamine and fluoexetine are two of the approved generic anti-depressants. Another topic Clark addressed was the use of antidepressant medication for more diverse purposes such as treating obsessive-compulsive disorders, bulimia, post traumatic stress disorder, etc. He stated that most of the time generic antidepressants are effective in treating these disorders as well. He implied that the prior authorization program applied to antidepressant prescriptions regardless of the whether the diagnosis involved was depression or another disorder.
In addition to Utah, Oregon, Washington and Idaho are served by Regence . The different BlueCross/BlueShield programs provide coverage to three million members.