Specialty Pharmacy

The 10 highest-expenditure Medicare Part B drugs, all of which are classified as specialty medications, accounted for 45% of Part B spending in 2010, according to a report from the US Government Accountability Office highlighted in recent congressional testimony.

Walgreens Infusion Services and Regence, an affiliation of health care plans in the Pacific Northwest/Mountain State region, recently entered into an agreement to help lower overall medical costs for specialty infusion patients in Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.

Patients with previously treated multiple myeloma responded well to therapy with the monoclonal antibody elotuzumab in combination with lenalidomide and low-dose dexamethasone, with a high objective response rate and longer progression-free survival (PFS) in those who received the dose being taken into phase III studies.

Approximately 700,000 Americans have Crohn's disease, a chronic but manageable inflammatory bowel disease.

In a recent letter to HHS, the Specialty Pharmacy Association of America expressed its concerns about the impact of the HIPAA Final Rule on remuneration for Medication Therapy Management and specialty pharmacy services and on interaction with patients through social media platforms.

In a recent letter to the Delaware House of Representatives, the AMCP asked the body not to impose dollar limits on the prescription drug insurance practice of cost-sharing known as specialty tiers.

Unorthodox clinical study design, innovative FDA public policy, and increased levels of patient involvement may be necessary to develop suitable treatments for rare diseases.

The National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP) announced it will begin developing pharmacy practice parameters in approximately 20 specialty pharmacy therapeutic categories this year.

Bill Sullivan, executive director of SPAARx, describes how his organization's definition of "specialty pharmacy" compares with other entities' definitions.

A new study released by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development reports that annual drug approvals for neglected diseases have nearly doubled since 2000, and patient access to these therapies has improved markedly.

The FDA today approved Gilotrif (afatinib) for patients with late stage (metastatic) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors express specific types of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations, as detected by an FDA-approved test.

Avella Specialty Pharmacy announced today that it has been awarded Specialty Pharmacy and Mail Service Pharmacy accreditations from URAC.

Blount Specialty Pharmacy, part of Blount Discount Pharmacy, Inc announced that it has been awarded Specialty Pharmacy accreditation from URAC.

Many of the types of drugs addressed by the guidance document could be categorized as specialty drugs because they require special handling, frequent dosing adjustments, and intensive clinical monitoring of adverse effects.

Samford University's McWhorter School of Pharmacy has received a $10,000 International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists Foundation grant to support research in compounded pain formulations.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that all patients born between 1945 and 1965 as well as high-risk patients of all ages be tested for hepatitis C.

Recent actions by the FDA to accelerate simeprevir's journey to market may be instrumental in helping close the treatment gap for genotype 1 hepatitis C patients in need.

Debbie Stern of Rxperts discusses the findings from the EMD Serono Specialty Digest, 9th Edition, and the use of specialty drug tiers by payers.

Roche today announced that the FDA has accepted the company's Biologics License Application (BLA) for obinutuzumab (GA101) and granted Priority Review for GA101 in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

BioPlus was selected as a specialty pharmacy supplier for the new Tarceva network.

Research presented on June 25, 2013, at the Drug Information Association (DIA) 2013 49th Annual Meeting could trigger a paradigm shift in clinical trial patient recruitment and could change the way pharmacists engage with patients as new drugs make their way through the FDA approval process.

Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy, the country's largest independent specialty pharmacy servicing the needs of patients and physicians nationwide, is pleased to announce the company's compounding pharmacy has been accredited by the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB).

Pharmacy accreditation is starting to gain some recognition, noted Quintin Jessee, RPh, DPh, D2 Pharma Consulting in this video shot at the 2013 Armada Specialty Pharmacy Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Drug Information Association's (DIA) 49th Annual Meeting will cover information about rare disease, recruiting for clinical trials, and updates from the Center for Biologics Evaluation Research.

The updates issued by the FDA address the rules and language from the Orphan Drug Act governing orphan-drug designation and orphan-drug exclusivity.

Adam J. Fein of Drug Channels explains the reasons drug manufacturers choose limited distribution channels.

An analysis of 6209 patients drawn from the Consortium of Rheumatology Researchers of North America found that nearly half of patients discontinue treatment with biologics within 2 years.

Specialty Pharmacy Times sat down to talk with Dr. Eric Sredzinski about the controversial topic of pricing for oncology medications, as well as common patient reimbursement hurdles and Avella's technologically savvy efforts to break down patient adherence barriers.