Specialty Pharmacy

URAC, an independent accreditation organization advancing quality and value throughout health care, announced the launch of 2 new accreditation programs for Clinical Integration and Accountable Care to address the changing healthcare landscape.

Reports from the United States and Europe reference the lack of long-term effectiveness studies and the lack of comparative effectiveness studies as challenges in determining the most appropriate initial biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) treatment for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

As pharmacogenomics continues to progress, specialty pharmacists may dominate treatment for certain diseases.

The National Psoriasis Foundation Medical Board released a statement supporting the prohibition of biosimilar substitution pending the fulfillment of 7 key measures.

Specialty pharmacy programs helped members save approximately $11 million on high cost specialty medicines, reduced medicine misuse.

Sixty-eight percent of patients with preexisting liver damage and other poor prognostic factors treated with a combination of sofosbuvir and ribavirin attained functional cure of hepatitis C, as measured by sustained viral response 24 weeks after the end of treatment.

Another state sets up the pathway for biosimilar substitution; however, the proposed legislation comes with restrictions on that practice.

Einodshofer of Walgreens explains that it can be difficult to convince oncologists with hospital-owned oncology practices to send patients to alternative treatment sites.

Bayer HealthCare and Onyx Pharmaceuticals today announced that the FDA has granted Priority Review designation to the supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for the oral multi-kinase inhibitor Nexavar (sorafenib) tablets under evaluation for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic radioactive iodine (RAI)-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer.

An assessment of costs and specialty drug use within 4 chronic conditions found specialty drugs contribute to overall costs for insurance plan members.

As pharmacogenomics continues to progress, specialty pharmacists may dominate treatment for certain diseases.

Investigators in Spain have identified a relationship between higher-complexity medication regimens and a lower likelihood of sustained viral response (SVR) after treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

Agency aims for consistent biosimilar evaluation procedures, while future in US remains unknown.

Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy, Avella Specialty Pharmacy, EnvisionRxOptions, Prime Therapeutics, BioRx, and Amber Pharmacy were among the top 20 companies producing the largest revenue in the health section of the Inc. list.

Avella Specialty Pharmacy has been named to Inc. Magazine's 500/5000 list of fastest growing companies in America. Avella has been included in this prestigious group of entrepreneurial ventures since Inc. Magazine started the listing in 2006.

In a new study published in the Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy, investigators interviewed patients and pharmacists about the costs and benefits of obtaining antiretroviral therapies from a community pharmacy.

Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy announced today that Cheryl Allen, RPh, has been promoted to vice president of business development and industry relations.

Despite the high efficacy of imatinib to treat patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), a recent article review of multiple GIST studies reveals that a large number of patients still achieve suboptimal adherence levels.

Some pharmaceutical manufacturers choose a limited distribution model for their specialty product so that they can ensure all standards of care and reporting associated with that therapy are upheld, noted Duane Barnes, senior vice president, consumer delivery, Prime Therapeutics, at the 2013 Armada Specialty Pharmacy Summit.

In the first reported clinical study of topical tofacitinib, investigators concluded that the Janus kinase inhibitor effectively reduced the clinical signs of psoriasis.

Many factors besides limited distribution are affecting access to specialty medications by retail pharmacies, according to a new industry study from Inmar.

In a recent study, a majority of men reported they still wanted to receive prostate-specific antigen testing, despite recommendations by the US Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) against the test.

As the federal budgetary ax falls, tax credits for drugs to treat orphan disease may become victim to government spending cuts.

The FDA approved Tivicay (dolutegravir), a new drug to treat HIV-1 infection.

Specialty Pharmacy Times announced today that Armada Health Care (Armada), the nation's largest group purchasing and channel management organization for the specialty pharmacy market, has joined a rapidly growing list of Strategic Alliance Partners.

Cardinal Health today launched the Specialty Pharmacy Alliance, a new suite of services that make it easier for community pharmacies to improve their patients' access to and compliance with specialty medications.

The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) recommended an expanded role for managed care and specialty pharmacists as the FDA re-evaluates its mandated Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) program.

Specialty tiers place an unfair burden on the most vulnerable patients, according to a new white paper from Medicare Access for Patients Rx.