Mich. Will Require ADD Drug Pre-Approval
Posted on: Tuesday, 19 October 2004, 22:00 CDT
LANSING, Mich. - Michigan doctors prescribing a drug called Strattera for Medicaid recipients suffering from attention deficit disorder will need to get state approval before the prescription can be filled.
A panel of doctors, pharmacists and others decided Tuesday to require prior authorization for the drug, starting Nov. 1, because it was being prescribed to treat conditions other than attention deficit disorder or the related attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, state health department spokesman T.J. Bucholz said.
The drug has also been used to treat bipolar disorder, psychosis and depression, he said.
Introduced in 2003 by Eli Lilly and Co., Strattera is not a stimulant, a class of drug that can be addictive. Patients can get refills for Strattera without a new prescription.
Medicaid recipients needed prior authorization for Strattera earlier this year, but the Michigan Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee decided to remove the requirement in June.
Two mental health groups are considering suing Michigan over the change. And some mental health professionals are concerned the change will prevent low-income adults and children from getting the medicine because doctors won't have time to seek prior authorization.
"It has the effect of making Strattera inaccessible," said Dr. Joel Young, medical director and founder of the Rochester Center for Behavioral Medicine.
But Bucholz said authorities don't view the authorization as an impediment to obtaining Strattera.
Strattera works by blocking reabsorption of a neurotransmitter that moves messages between brain cells. It won federal safety approval in November 2002.
Source: Associated Press/AP Online
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