Mass. Insurer Ends Coverage of Compounded Drugs

The second largest health insurer in Massachusetts has announced that it will no longer cover specialty medications known as compounded drugs, months after a deadly nationwide meningitis outbreak was traced to a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy.
The chief medical officer at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care says the policy stems from a safety review after the meningitis outbreak traced to tainted steroids produced at New England Compounding Center in Framingham that killed 58.

Dr. Michael Sherman says that most of the insurance claims it received from patients for compounded drugs were for medications that should not be covered by a health insurer. The coverage ends Aug. 7, but Harvard Pilgrim will consider appeals on a case by case basis. The decision drew fire from pharmacists and patient advocates.