Healthesystems attended the January 21st meeting of California Pharmacy & Therapeutics (P&T) Committee meeting, where members evaluated 2024 utilization trends across four targeted therapeutic drug categories to help guide future updates to the state’s workers’ compensation formulary.

Utilization data presented during the meeting indicated that some injured workers may be using proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) on a chronic basis, despite these medications being intended for short-term therapy. Committee members raised concerns that prolonged PPI use could contribute to preventable comorbidities and increase downstream medical costs if not appropriately managed.

Although no formal recommendations were made, Kevin Gorospe, PharmD and DWC Consultant agreed to conduct a deeper analysis to determine whether PPI therapy is occurring beyond 90 days for injured workers.

Looking ahead, the committee outlined several topics for further review at its next meeting, including biosimilars, GLP-1 medications, migraine therapies with unlisted status, and pregabalin utilization. These topics will support ongoing assessment of prescribing patterns and potential updates to the state’s workers’ compensation formulary.

Staying closely engaged with the P&T Committee discussions gives Healthesystems early visibility into the clinical and utilization issues the Committee may evaluate for future action.

The next quarterly meeting is scheduled for April.