Date Issued: 10/1/2014
Effective November 15, 2014, EmblemHealth will no longer cover certain compounded drugs.*
Click on the link below to see a list of the most frequently prescribed excluded compounded drugs and their commercially available, FDA-approved alternatives. Please prescribe these commercially available medications when possible.
This coverage decision was made for the following reasons:
- The ingredients used to make certain compounded medications are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
- The effectiveness of certain compounded medications has not been proven.
- The safety and quality of certain compounded medications has not been evaluated.
Top 25 Excluded Compounded Drugs* and Commercially Available Alternatives
*The FDA defines a compounded drug as one that requires a licensed pharmacist to combine, mix or alter the ingredients of a medication when filling a prescription. Compounded drugs, unlike FDA-approved medications, often lack the rigorous clinical studies to validate safety and effectiveness.