Dermatologic Agents: Tazorac®, FabiorTM, tretinoin (Avita®, Retin-A®, Retin-A Micro®, Atralin®, Tretin-X®), Ziana®
Medical Benefit Date of Origin: 3/12 Effective Date: 6/15/2012 Pharmacy Commercial Benefit Next Review Date: 3/13 Date Published to Web: 5/15/2012 Pharmacy Medicaid/Family Health Review Dates: 3/12 Plus Benefit
Certain topical medications are used for the treatment of a variety of conditions including acne vulgaris, actinic
keratosis and acne rosacea. Tretinoin is a naturally occurring derivate of vitamin A. Tazorac (tazarotene) is a
retinoid prodrug of tazarotenic acid. As vitamin A (retinol) derivatives, retinoids are important regulators of cell
reproduction, and cell proliferation. Topical tretinoin is indicated for the treatment of mild to moderate acne
(grades I-III). Topical tretinoin has also been used in the symptomatic management of keratinization disorders
such as ichthyosis and keratosis follicularis. Tazorac is indicated for the treatment of psoriasis, acne vulgaris,
and photoaging of the skin. A cream formulation was FDA-approved in October 2000. Avage™ 0.1% cream was
approved by the FDA on October 2, 2002 for the adjunctive treatment of fine facial wrinkles, particularly those
associated with photoaging. Fabior topical foam is FDA-approved for the treatment of acne vulgaris in patients
Coverage is determined through a prior authorization process with supporting clinical documentation for every request for members exceeding an age limit, specified in member’s contract.
• Commercial age limits: 25yo, 27yo, or 30yo dependent on contract
• Medicaid/Family Health Plus age limits: 30yo
Coverage is provided when any of the following criteria are met:
• Member has diagnosis of acne vulgaris or acne rosacea • Member has diagnosis of actinic keratosis • Member has diagnosis of basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma • Member has diagnosis of stable plaque psoriasis (Tazorac only)
Please refer to package insert for prescribing information for each agent.
Page 1 of 3 Dermatologic Agents Last Review Date: 3/2012
Quantities covered for dosing within FDA approved dosage guidelines.
Coverage will be granted for 1 year and can be renewed.
Coverage can be renewed based upon the following criteria:
• Member is documented as continuing to have a covered diagnosis AND
• Stabilization of disease or in absence of disease progression AND
• Absence of unacceptable toxicity from the drug
All indications not described in Section III Policy criteria are not covered and may be considered experimental or investigational.
Coverage will not be provided for cosmetic purposes. Examples:
• Wrinkles • Hyperpigmentation • Hypopigmentation • Photoaging
Please refer to individual prescribing information for full details. • Contraindications: Medications are contraindicated in members with a history of sensitivity reactions to the
• Warnings: Ziana: limit UV exposure (sunlight, sunlamps); patients with sunburn should be advised not to use
Ziana until fully recovered because of the increased susceptibility to sunlight as a result of the use of
Page 2 of 3 Dermatologic Agents Last Review Date: 3/2012
6/12: Fabior (topical tazarotene foam) added to policy.
1. Clinical Pharmacology. Accessed 2/2012.
2. Ziana [clindamycin/tretinoin]. Prescribing information.
3. Tazorac [tazarotene]. Prescribing Information. Allergan. Updated 3/2011.
4. Drugs@FDA – FDA approved products. Accessed online on 5/24/12 at
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/drugsatfda/index.cfm?fuseaction=Search.DrugDetails.
5. Fabior [tazarotene]. Prescribing information. Stiefel Laboratories, Inc. Research Triangle Park, NC 27709.
The Plan fully expects that only appropriate and medically necessary services will be rendered. The Plan reserves the right to conduct pre-payment and post-payment reviews to assess the medical appropriateness of the above-referenced Drug therapy initiated with samples will not be considered as meeting medical necessity for coverage for non-preferred The preceding policy applies only to members for whom the above named pharmacy benefit medications are included on their covered formulary. Members with closed formulary / 2-tier benefits are subject to trying all appropriate formulary alternatives before a coverage exception for a 3rd tier agent will be considered. The preceding policy is a guideline to allow for coverage of the pertinent medication/product, and is not meant to serve as a clinical practice guideline.
Page 3 of 3
CRY WOLF PROJECT Minimum Wages By Stephanie Luce REVISED DRAFT November 5, 2010 The idea of minimum wage laws has been around for more than a century. As workers toiled in early factories, they fought for a floor wage that would allow them to meet their basic needs. In the U.S., the first minimum wage law was passed in Massachusetts in 1912. A number of other states followed suit, and
Hey gang, I did Talc Pleurodesis on John Doe today. This of course is a form of Chemical Pleurodesis as compared to Mechanical Pleurodesis which we do in the Operating Room. Mechanical Pleurdesis is a rather barbaric procedure whereby you perform abrasion (you can literally use a bovey pad to do this) to the parietal pleura with the goal of creating