What exactly is an NDC?
The National Drug Code (NDC) uniquely identifies a particular drug, manufacturer, strength, and packaging combination. The NDC is often shown on your prescription bottle as an 11-digit code (see the charts below) or could be formatted as 00000-0000-00 where the first set of numbers identifies the manufacturer, the second set of number identifies the product and strength, and the third set of numbers identifies the packaging.
Some interesting additions to
the 2017 Medicare Part D (PDP) and Medicare Advantage plan (MAPD) formularies include:
|
|
Number of |
Number of |
| Desvenlafaxine Succinate ER 100 mg [Pristiq] | 54 | 324 |
| Desvenlafaxine Succinate ER 25 mg [Pristiq] | 57 | 325 |
| Desvenlafaxine Succinate ER 50 mg [Pristiq] | 54 | 324 |
| Flurandrenolide 0.05% Ointment [Cordran] | 8 | 63 |
| Irbesartan-hctz 300-12.5 mg tb [Avalide] | 53 | 327 |
| Montelukast sod 4 mg tab chew [Singulair] | 57 | 333 |
| Montelukast sod 5 mg tab chew [Singulair] | 57 | 333 |
| Zoledronic acid 4 mg/5 ml vial [Zometa] | 57 | 332 |
The following table details the eight (8) manufacturer / drug / strength / packaging combinations (NDCs) that were added to one or more Medicare Part D formularies in the April 2017 updates. You can click on the NDC or Drug Name below to go to our on this site Drug Finder to see the details of how this drug is handled by all Medicare Part D Plans in Florida (our example state). -- You can then change the state to your state for details in your service area.
| July 2017 Generic Medications Added to Medicare Part D | |||||||||||
| NDC | Generic Drug Name | Brand-Name Drug | |||||||||
| 68180059306 | Desvenlafaxine Succinate ER 100 mg | [Pristiq] | |||||||||
| 00591406030 | Desvenlafaxine Succinate ER 25 mg tb | [Pristiq] | |||||||||
| 68180059206 | Desvenlafaxine Succinate ER 50 mg tb | [Pristiq] | |||||||||
| 52565001760 | Flurandrenolide 0.05% Ointment | [Cordran] | |||||||||
| 00054025513 | Irbesartan-hctz 300-12.5 mg tb | [Avalide] | |||||||||
| 65862056790 | Montelukast sod 4 mg tab chew | [Singulair] | |||||||||
| 65862056890 | Montelukast sod 5 mg tab chew | [Singulair] | |||||||||
| 00143964201 | Zoledronic acid 4 mg/5 ml vial | [Zometa] | |||||||||
What Could the Addition of New Generic Drugs Mean to You?
- You may be able to save money by switching
from the brand-name drug to its generic equivalent – with your prescriber’s
approval and a new prescription. Please note, you will need to look
carefully at coverage costs as we have found that many 2017 generics are being
offered on the same tier as their brand-name equivalent or the generics do not
have a significantly lower retail price. For example,
the brand-name Tamiflu
(45 mg) may have a retail cost of around $132.16 as a Tier 4 drug (35%
co-insurance) and the same plan may now cover the generic equivalent OSELTAMIVIR PHOS 45 MG also as a Tier 4 drug (35% co-insurance). You can click
here to see how your Medicare drug plan is covering these medication.
- Your brand-name drug may no longer be available if a generic is now available. From past experience, we may find that many Medicare Part D plans discontinue coverage of a brand-name drug in the months following the introduction of a generic equivalent. If you have received notice from your Medicare Part D plan that your brand-name medication will be dropped, you should speak with your prescriber to determine if you can take the generic equivalent or if you will need to ask your plan for a formulary exception to continue coverage for the brand-name drug. You can click for a chart showing the trends in formulary coverage for some of the most popular Medicare drugs and their generic equivalents.