Different Perspectives

I really like how my internship is very cohesive. For example, at the next CRC meeting I will be presenting the monograph I authored for Vimovo and also defend the CTL (clinical threshold level) I rate for this new product. In a few weeks AstraZeneca will be doing a presentation on Vimovo that I will be attending, and during my time with the UM (utilization management) team, I had to do drug comparisons between Vimovo and Celebrex. Another example: I did a limited review for a cream to treat actinic keratosis, and am now working on the criteria for its UM program and in a few weeks the manufacturer will visit to do a presentation on their product. (I can't give the specific drug name due to confidentiality).

What criteria am I talking about? Maybe first I should explain UM. Please note at my internship UM stands for many things, BESIDES its true meaning of University of Michigan ;-). U of M can mean University of Minnesota, and can also mean Utilization Management. The UM (utilization management) team is responsible for programs surrounding various medications, such as Prior Authorization, Quantity Limit or Step Therapy. They write and manage the "obstacles" that community pharmacists deal with on a daily basis. The UM team collaborates with the Formulary Development team to come up with ideas of how a medication's program should be set up.

Today I actually finished writing up criteria for a drug to treat heavy menstrual bleeding. When thinking of the criteria, I had to put the contraindications, FDA indications, and patient populations studied in clinical trials into account to guarantee the program ensures appropriate prescribing patterns. I find it really fun!