When will the guidelines start to be enforced for prescriptions for seniors and indigents?
The implementation date is 1 July 1996. What medication coverage changes were made? Changes were made to the H2-antagonist and proton-pump inhibitor class. Of the four currently available H2-antagonists, cimetidine, ranitidine, famotidine and nizatidine, only the first two medications shall be provided as open-benefit medications. Ranitidine capsules, famotidine and nizatidine shall not be covered. Clinical literature supports that these four H2-antagonists have similar efficacy, but have significant therapy cost differences. As such, only the two lower cost medications shall be covered. The majority of prescriptions for H2-antagonists currently use ranitidine tablets. Omeprazole has moved from open-benefit to restricted access. Consideration for coverage of a proton-pump inhibitor will now apply to all medications within this category (i.e., omeprazole and lansoprazole). How does a physician go about getting omeprazole or other restricted drugs approved for the individual patient? Can
