Florida Medicaid patients taking Lilly's atypical antipsychotic Zyprexa will have 60 days to switch to an alternative drug before the program starts requiring prior authorization for olanzapine.

Lilly's Zyprexa and Symbyax (olanzapine/fluoxetine) are being removed from the Medicaid preferred drug list after the company could not come to an agreement with Florida over supplemental rebates.

Rather than immediately dropping coverage for Zyprexa and Symbyax, the two antipsychotics will be transitioned off Florida's preferred drug list to allow time for patients to contact their physicians about alternative treatment options.

The following antipsychotics will remain on the PDL: Bristol-Myers Squibb/Otsuka's Abilify (aripiprazole); Pfizer's Geodon (ziprasidone); Johnson & Johnson's Risperdal (risperidone); AstraZeneca's Seroquel (quetiapine); Novartis' Clozaril (clozapine); and Alamo's Fazaclo (clozapine).

"Participants taking mental health drugs in the anti-psychotic class that were not approved for the PDL will have a 60-day transition period beginning July 11, 2005," Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration said July 6.

"These drugs are: Zyprexa and Symbyax. As with all other medicines, a prior authorization process will remain in place for these drugs."

While mental health products covered under Florida Medicaid have historically been exempted from the supplemental rebate process, the state legislature passed a bill earlier this year that removed those exemptions.

Lilly lost PDL placement because it refused to provide supplemental rebates for its mental health products. The firm instead argued that a state disease management program (funded by Lilly, Janssen, AstraZeneca, Bristol and Pfizer) - the Florida Behavioral Pharmacy Management Program - controls drug costs better than supplemental rebates.

As a result, Zyprexa and Symbyax were not considered for inclusion on the Florida Medicaid PDL. Excluding Florida, Zyprexa is on PDLs for 46 state Medicaid programs; prior authorization is required in Kentucky, West Virginia and Texas.

- Kate Rawson

Lilly’s Zyprexa Transitioning Off Florida Medicaid Preferred Drug List

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