Briefs

Diabetic supplies come under attack WASHINGTON - The American Diabetes Association began lobbying Washington lawmakers last month to not cut Medicaid benefits for people with diabetes. In attempting to provide “flexibility” to states, the Bush Administration has proposed a restructuring of Medicaid that would give state Medicaid administrators the authority to end coverage for diabetes supplies, medications, equipment and services. The American Diabetes Association believes that the elimination of such coverage would be a disaster for the poor, near poor, disabled and poor children living with diabetes who depend on Medicaid for health care coverage. Audits hit Region C respiratory pharmacists COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Region C DMERC has begun auditing providers of budesonide, an inhalation steroid, according to Mickey Letson, president of Letco Medical. Concerned about a spike in Budesonide, Region C sent audit letters to 20 top providers of the drug in late February. “(Providers) better make sure that their documentation is in order on budesonide, because the thinking is if Region C finds some evidence in the people they are doing the audit on, they may begin to audit a lot more people,” Letson said Atmospheric-friendly albuterol goes to FDA MIAMI - IVAX Corporation has submitted a New Drug Application to the U.S. (FDA) for approval to market albuterol sulfate using a non-ozone depleting HFA (hydrofluoroalkane) propellant in a metered dose inhaler. Over 90% of the more than 40 million albuterol inhalers sold in the United States last year contained CFC propellants, which are expected eventually to be removed from the market due to concern about ozone depletion.