myMatrixx Chief Clinical Officer, Phil Walls, was recently quoted in two separate articles for industry publication Business Insurance. In the first, on concerns surrounding the high costs and other concerns of certain alternatives for prescription opioids, Walls shared that myMatrixx was encountering a high-priced nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) called fenoprofen. As this drug was being prescribed by a relatively small number of physicians, Walls stressed that it only takes a few “bad actors” to disrupt the system and drive up costs.
The second piece discusses another cost driver in workers’ comp pharmacy in the form of specialty drugs. Walls was quoted as saying myMatrixx has seen increases in muscle relaxants, off-label antidepressant use and anticonvulsant use, while also stressing the high costs of newer HIV and Hepatitis C drugs coming to market. According to Walls, these drugs account for about 1% of prescriptions while taking up 10% of all drug spending, a trend that requires attention due to half of the drugs currently under FDA review being in the specialty category.
For deeper analysis of these and other critical categories in workers’ compensation pharmacy, view the myMatrixx 2020 Drug Trend Report.