News Scan for Jan 14, 2022

Insurers may be spending $130 million on ivermectin for COVID-19Needless insurer spending on ivermectin prescriptions for COVID-19, estimated at $2.5 million in the United States for the week of Aug 13, 2021—the most recent week analyzed—would extrapolate to $130 million annually, US researchers reported yesterday in JAMA.Ivermectin has become a hot-button drug because some, especially anti-vaccine advocates, have touted its effectiveness against COVID-19 despite a dearth of supportive data.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved it in people for infections caused by some parasitic worms, head lice, and skin conditions like rosacea but warns against taking it for COVID-19.The study investigators, from the University of Michigan and Boston University, analyzed data from the IQVIA PharMetrics Plus for Academics database from Dec 1, 2020, through Mar 31, 2021.

During that period, the database included a convenience sample of 5 million patients with private insurance and 1.2 million with Medicare Advantage across the country.For each payer type, the authors calculated mean insurer reimbursement, out-of-pocket spending, and total spending per ivermectin prescription.

To assess the degree to which insurers covered prescription costs, they divided aggregate insurer reimbursement by total spending.For each ivermectin prescription, mean out-of-pocket spending was $22.48 for privately insured patients and $13.78 for Medicare Advantage patients, while mean insurer reimbursement was $35.75 and $39.13, respectively.To assess the potential magnitude of what US insurers have spent on ivermectin reimbursement, the researchers looked at prescriptions during the week of Aug 13, 2021, the most recent week with complete data.