CALIFORNIA II: EXPANDED ACCESS TO ANTIPSYCHOTIC DRUGS
California's Medi-Cal program has expanded access to threeThis is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
state-of-the-art drugs used to treat patients with schizophrenia
and other psychotic disorders, Los Angeles Times reports. Under
a new regulation that went into effect this month, Medi-Cal
recipients now have "the right to receive any one of three highly
effective medications that had previously been available only
with special approval." The three drugs are Clozaril, Risperdal
and Zyprexa. The state has also "agreed to review each new
antipsychotic coming onto the market ... for addition to the
Medi-Cal drug formulary." Los Angeles Times notes that
California "is one of the last states to make the expensive
medications ... available." Mental Health Association of
California Executive Director Rusty Selix said, "In nearly every
other state, (mental health activists) didn't have to do what we
had to do to get these drugs made available under Medi-Cal. The
state was unbelievably resistant. It took an enormous effort"
(Roan, 10/14).