
AMP is WAC (and other thoughts)
Latest posts and updates
Latest posts and updates
ABOUT AMP is WAC
Average Manufacturer Price (AMP) is not equal to Wholesale Acquisition Cost (WAC), but it is close. And since the whole world of health policy and reimbursement is a bit WAC-y, that’s what we’re calling this update/blog part of the site. All of the opinions and thoughts presented here are our own and not the views of clients or affiliates.
As we look ahead to next week and Thanksgiving, I have to say thank you to you for subscribing and reading. I got the stuffing knocked out of me this summer but knowing that this group of subscribers hangs in there and continues to read is nice. As I look ahead to the next year,…
Broken Crystal Ball. Does the knowledge that RFK Jr might be heading up the Department of Health and Human Services get me any closer to guessing what might happen in the next 2 – 3 years for pharmaceutical health policy? Nope. But it wouldn’t seem like it would be good for innovation. NIH grants? Developing…
Some days you eat the bear and some days the bear eats you. Looking at Canada? No, not like that. JAMA featured a supply chain shortage look at the U.S. versus Canada. While not all of the lessons from Canada carry over (more flat bureaucracy because of connections between regulators and facilities) – they do…
As I write this, the elementary school across the street has Thriller playing at the 5th grade Halloween party happening in the parking lot. Things change and they stay the same. Not the worst reminder this week. Waiting. Payment rules expected from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services plus maybe eventually the Medicare Transaction…
Caught my eye .. This week I am struck by connections between 340B and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in terms of being issue areas that need complete makeovers. A glow up won’t do; we’re beyond that. But the trajectory toward change is very different. PBMs and payers (maybe) benefit from the way PBMs currently work.…
Order (Not) Ready. The National Community Pharmacists Association surveyed just under 500 independent pharmacy owners and the results are really interesting. Almost ¾ had not signed 2025 Part D pharmacy contracts as of about a month ago. Of those that dispense GLP-1 agonists, 96% lose money on them; it makes sense why 59% are thinking…
Not everything can be important, or nothing is. It’s the time of year when white boards and Post-It easels come out and prioritization for 2025 gets reviewed. From a consultant perspective, I love these exercises. It allows for a look at what needs direct action, coalition or monitoring. And the $ has to go to…
It’s time to set 2025 priorities and action plans – an exercise I love to do — and this week’s caught my eye is a hodgepodge of things to consider. Planning Woes. I’ve been wanting to write about the presidential candidates and what they might do in terms of health policy and pharmaceuticals if elected.…
For most drugs, it is not IF but WHEN they will be negotiated by Medicare so if you thought you could ignore guidance coming out this week, you were wrong. Everyone on the pharma side needs to be thinking of how the Inflation Reduction Act impacts them, even if you’re early on in the pipeline…
If you haven’t trained your teams on Medicare Part D changes for 2025, hop to it. Or reach out to me. These are January 1 issues and we’re about to hit October…. Let me clear my throat. The STAT news breaking news headline read “Sanders says pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) won’t penalize Novo for cutting…