Important Safety and Action Alerts

Important Safety Alert — Fentora (Fentanyl buccal tablet)
Cephalon, Inc., maker of Fentora (fentanyl buccal tablet), recently sent an important letter to health care professionals to clarify who should take the medication and how it should be taken. The company is sharing this information to reinforce the appropriate prescribing and use of Fentora. The letter, issued in collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), was in response to reports of deaths that have occurred with Fentora when the medicine was not used appropriately. Read more.

Urge CMS to Delay the Tamper-Resistant Prescription Pad Requirement
Beginning October 1, 2007, handwritten outpatient prescriptions for Medicaid patients will only be reimbursable if they are written on a tamper-resistant prescription pad. This may not seem like a serious issue, but it has the potential to limit access to important pain medications. Read more about this important issue and personalize a letter to send to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Congress in support of the delay.

Urge CMS to Create a Separate Payment Category for Rechargeable Neurostimulators
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed that non-rechargeable and rechargeable be reimbursed at the same payment rate — this proposal does not appear to sufficiently appreciate either the value of the technology of rechargeable neurostimulators or the negative impact this proposal may have on adoption in the real world. Read more about this important issue and personalize a letter to send to CMS in support of a separate payment category.

Safety Alert — FDA Issues Warning on Codeine Use by Nursing Mothers
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is concerned that nursing infants may be at increased risk of morphine overdose if their mothers are taking codeine and are ultra-rapid metabolizers of codeine. Read more.