Bridging the gap between the hospital and alternate-site care
Volume 2 • Number 1 • Winter 2013
specialtypharmacycontinuum.com
In This Issue Ask the Expert
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Suzanne Tschida, PharmD, of OptumRx-United Healthcare, on managing transplant patients taking oral immunosuppressant therapy.
Policy
9 12
Limited distribution network set for Gattex, a newly approved treatment for short bowel syndrome. New Medicare legislation paves the way for at-home IVIG therapy.
Operations & Mgmt
18
Will non-pharmacy dispensing sites cut into specialty pharmacy market?
Disease State Spotlight
20
Pulmonary arterial hyptertension: current and future treatment trends.
Clinical
26 New column! IVIG FAQ, by Jerry Siegel, PharmD
Is There Room for Two New Trade Associations?
A ‘Tipping Point’ For Specialty Rx Spend Looming
NASP, SPAARx square off for the future of specialty pharmacy representation
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ommunity pharmaccists have the National Communityy Pharmacists Association (NCPA)). Pharmacists practicing in hosp pittals and HMOs have the Ameeriican Society of Health-Syystem Pharmacists (ASHP)). Pharmacists involved in n managed care have the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP). Now, after years of rapid growth—but no trade group of its own— — specialty pharmacy haas no less than two new asssociations seeking to repressen nt the interests of its stakeeho olders. The first group emergged d last fall, with the launch of th he National Association of Specialtyy Pharmacy (NASP). On Jan. 31, Arm mad da Health da Care joined the party by an nnouncing the formation of the Speccialty lty Pharmacy Association of America (SPAARx). Whether sparks will indeed fly once these two groups begin to compete for members remains to be seen; for now, representatives of each group declined to go on the record about the other’s foray into the association arena. But in background interviews, a certain level of distrust between the two organizations was clear. Phil Hagerman, RPh, CEO of Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy and a founding member of NASP, did offer this observation: he said he wasn’t expecting the SPAARx announcement. “We found it surprising, as Armada has been around for many years and I never heard this was part of their plans.” Mr Hagerman also added a word of caution: “I believe having a second association enter the [specialty pharmacy] space will cause some confusion.”
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see NASP, SPAARx, page 16
New Product
pending on specialty medications increased by 22.6% during the first three quarters of 2012 compared with the same time period in 2011, according to the inaugural Drug Trend Quarterly report, released by Express Scripts in late November. And although those numbers may appear to be good news for the industry, some analysts say there may be a price to pay in the not-too-distant future. “From our surveys of payer panels, we are consistently hearing the theme that we’ve got to do something about the spiraling costs of specialty medications,”
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see COST TRENDS, page 14
High-Tech Tools For Improving Specialty Med Rx Websites, social media and mobile apps gaining traction
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variety of new web-based initiatives are helping patients to manage disorders typically treated with specialty pharmacy medicines. To illustrate the many types of tools and what they involve, here’s a closer look at initiatives in three therapeutic areas: HIV, hemophilia and hereditary angioedema (HAE). In some cases, the initiatives promote screening and patient compliance with medications, while others focus on increasing communication
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see WEB TOOLS, page 7
The Book Page
Cometriq approved for metastatic thyroid cancer
Internal Medicine: A Guide to Clinical Therapeutics Monica L. Miller, Rebecca L. Attridge, Rebecca Moote, Laurajo Ryan
See page 10.
See page 25.