Alex Toman, PharmD, MSPBA Candidate

There is a concern that mergers and acquisitions in the pharmacy space will lead to decreased competition and loose agreements between companies that will not drive significant outcomes.

Specialty drugs with limited distribution networks require pharmacies to put together an extensive request for proposal to gain access.

Pharmacies are increasingly using collected health data to target advertising to customers or identify needs and purchase patterns.

When deciding to include a pharmacy in a distribution network, a manufacturer will look for factors that positively differentiate the pharmacy, as well as factors that will likely help the target patient population.

Many factors influence whether a specialty pharmacy can gain access to limited distribution drug networks.

Important considerations for pharmacists to concerning the switch from a brand name biologic to a new biosimilar.

Multiple specialty pharmacy processes can delay the time-to-fill for specialty medications.

Non-adherence to medication regimens is estimated to cost approximately $290 billion dollars in unnecessary medical expenses.

Becoming an accredited specialty pharmacy requires a large time investment and a significant commitment to properly record and report specific data.