Texas Medicaid holds off on proposed limits for Gilead hepatitis drug

Texas is reconsidering whether to impose strict limits on Gilead Sciences' $84,000 hepatitis C treatment for patients on the state's Medicaid health plan for the poor, at the urging of outside advisers, a state official said on Friday. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which oversees Medicaid, had proposed a policy to allow the drug, Sovaldi, to be used mainly for sicker patients, such as those whose hepatitis C had developed into advanced liver disease, according to state documents reviewed by Reuters. As with most state Medicaid programs, an outside committee of pharmacists and doctors in Texas meets quarterly to review new drugs and recommend policies to the state's Medicaid director. "The board asked state staff to meet with stakeholders, including gastroenterologists, about the criteria, whether it was too strict, and the prior authorization process," Texas Health and Human Services Commission spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman said. via Health News Headlines - Yahoo News Read More Here..