68-954.

Preferred drug list; considerations; availability of list.

(1) The department and the pharmaceutical and therapeutics committee shall consider all therapeutic classes of prescription drugs for inclusion on the preferred drug list, except that antidepressant, antipsychotic, and anticonvulsant prescription drugs shall not be subject to consideration for inclusion on the preferred drug list.

(2)(a) The department shall include a prescription drug on the preferred drug list if the prescription drug is therapeutically equivalent to or superior to a prescription drug on the list and the net cost of the new prescription drug is equal to or less than the net cost of the listed drug, after consideration of applicable rebates or discounts negotiated by the department.

(b) If the department finds that two or more prescription drugs under consideration for inclusion on the preferred drug list are therapeutically equivalent, the department shall include the more cost-effective prescription drug or drugs on the preferred drug list, after consideration of applicable rebates or discounts negotiated by the department.

(3) The department shall maintain an updated preferred drug list in electronic format and shall make the list available to the public on the department's Internet website.