On May 7, 2018, the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs began requiring pharmacies begin reporting prescriptions for the unscheduled drug gabapentin to the New Jersey Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP). The drug, known under brand names Neurontin and Gralise, is currently unscheduled. However Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia have all reclassified gabapentin as Schedule V, while other states are currently debating whether to schedule gabapentin as well. It has...

Last month, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that West Bend Mutual Insurance Co. was required to defend a medical supply wholesaler in a lawsuit alleging it sold "gray market" versions of Abbott Laboratories' diabetes test strips. The Court found that even though Abbott alleged that the wholesaler had acted in an intentional manner, the insurance policy could not escape its "duty to defend" where other claims alleged were covered by...

Late last year, Epic Pharmacy Network, Inc. (Epic) sent demands to network pharmacies notifying its members that it will withhold future payments because of a Generic Effective Rate (GER) adjustment. The adjustments surprised many pharmacies that were unaware of any withholding resulting in multiple state and federal court lawsuits. Now, in 2019, pharmacies must be as diligent as ever to ensure that Pharmacy Services Administration Organizations (PSAOs) and Pharmacy Benefit...

Frier Levitt was recently successful in removing three fraudulent online reviews for a New Jersey-based medical office. Unfortunately, in an era of digital communications, it has become extremely easy for disgruntled patients to vent by making posts about physicians and their practices on social media and online review sites. Many times, these negative reviews can contain false and even defamatory information that can be damaging to a physician’s reputation, their...

Epic Pharmacy Network, Inc. (Epic) has sent demands to network pharmacies notifying its members that it will withhold future payments because of a Generic Effective Rate (GER) adjustment. These notices are being sent to network pharmacies regardless of size, and in amounts as large as more than $5 Million, but sometimes in amounts less than $20,000. Depending on the size of a pharmacy, $20,000 withheld from a pharmacy can be...