With the death toll from COVID-19 now surpassing 14,000 in the U.S., President Donald Trump and some of his advisers have repeatedly touted the promise of certain anti-malarial drugs to combat the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. That enthusiasm has sparked increasing concern that the surge in demand for such drugs, hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, is imperiling access for patients who take them to treat autoimmune conditions such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. To help alleviate the issue, some major PBMs tell AIS Health that they’re placing utilization management controls on off-label use of hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine and other drugs with the potential to treat COVID-19.

Biosimilar medications can offer meaningful cost savings for payers, but market and regulatory barriers are still preventing them from realizing their full economic potential, according to a March 31 Johns Hopkins University study funded by the ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC), a lobbying group for companies managing self-funded health insurance plans.

Express Scripts said it saved enrolled plans some $4.3 billion in 2019 through its SafeGuardRx programs, which combine multiple cost- containment strategies such as value- based contracting and payments from financial guarantees.

Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are far from the only drugs being tested for their potential to treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus that has ballooned into a pandemic.