Medical specialty injectable drugs
Medical specialty injectable drugs are administered by a healthcare provider through an injection or infusion at a provider’s office, healthcare facility, or a patient’s home. These drugs may require specialized handling, storage, or monitoring by a healthcare provider.
This drug category is typically covered through your medical coverage rather than your prescription drug coverage.
Prime Therapeutics LLC (Prime), on behalf of Capital Blue Cross, provides services related to medical specialty injectable drugs, including medical policy management. From time to time, Capital Blue Cross and Prime update medical specialty injectable drug policies, including preauthorization requirements such as step therapy. Step therapy may require you to try a different drug first before approval of coverage is available for another medication.
The following chart lists recent updates to these policies. To learn more about coverage criteria, including Drug Infusion Site of Service requirements (which may require certain drugs to be administered at specific locations or facilities for you to receive coverage through your plan), review Prime’s medical drug policies.
Please note that preauthorization is not a guarantee of payment. Benefit eligibility and payment are subject to member and benefit eligibility at the time of service, limitations and conditions outlined in the member’s Benefits Booklet (Certificate of Coverage), and medical necessity of the requested service as determined by Capital.
The summaries below are high-level descriptions of policy changes and do not include all coverage criteria, limitations, exceptions, or clinical requirements. Members and providers should review the applicable medical policy for complete criteria.
Policy name |
Action |
Effective date |
Highlights |
|
Denosumab |
Revised |
October 1, 2026 |
New step therapy requirement for new starts or current utilizers:
|
|
Tocilizumab |
Revised |
October 1, 2026 |
Revised step therapy requirement for new starts or current utilizers:
|
|
Long-Acting Granulocyte Stimulating Factors |
Revised |
October 1, 2026 |
Revised step therapy requirement for new starts or current utilizers:
|
|
Gemcitabine |
Revised |
October 1, 2026 |
New step therapy requirement for new starts or current utilizers:
|
|
Inlexzo |
Revised |
October 1, 2026 |
New step therapy requirement for new starts or current utilizers:
|
|
Kyxata |
Revised |
October 1, 2026 |
New step therapy requirement for new starts or current utilizers:
|
|
Pemetrexed |
Revised |
December 1, 2026 |
New step therapy requirement for new starts or current utilizers:
|
|
Bortezomib |
Revised |
December 1, 2026 |
New step therapy requirement for new starts or current utilizers:
|
|
Bendamustine |
Revised |
December 1, 2026 |
New step therapy requirement for new starts or current utilizers:
|
|
Saphnelo |
Revised |
January 1, 2027 |
New step therapy requirement for new starts or current utilizers:
|
On behalf of Capital Blue Cross, Prime Therapeutics LLC, an independent company, provides medical specialty drug management services.