Looking Ahead to the World's Largest Gathering of Health-System Pharmacists

Across the United States, pharmacists, technicians, students, and industry stakeholders are preparing for the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear 2025 Clinical Meeting and Exhibition (ASHP Midyear). Pharmacy Times will be live in Las Vegas, providing coverage of key sessions and events.

As the world's largest gathering of health-system pharmacists, ASHP Midyear offers unique learning and career-development opportunities for pharmacists of all ages, experience levels, educational levels, and practice settings. Among its most anticipated components is the industry forecast, with trends over the next 5 years, as outlined by leading experts.

Based on the conference's scheduled sessions, here are the trends you can expect to emerge at the 2025 ASHP Midyear conference:

Trend 1: The Role of AI and Smart Devices in Pharmacy Practice

Artificial intelligence (AI) and smart technologies continue to shape the pharmacy and pharmaceutical industry at all levels. ASHP Midyear 2025 includes numerous sessions and posters highlighting the rapid evolution and impact of these tools. They include evaluations of AI-powered dispensing systems, research on automated workload redistribution, and the role of smart wearables and other devices.¹

The overall message, according to descriptions in the ASHP Midyear schedule, is that pharmacists need to fully understand the power and limitations of AI and smart devices and how to leverage them with thoughtful intention and care.

Trend 2: GLP-1 Therapies and Their Broadening Impact

Glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists (GLP-1s) have been approved by the FDA since 2005 as a treatment for diabetes, but their use has grown by over 700% since the FDA approved the class of drugs for weight loss in 2021. The 2025 ASHP Midyear schedule shows a significant number of sessions and posters devoted to their use but also to the downstream effects of their rapid growth—shortages, care coordination, formulary pressures, and safety monitoring—across patient populations, especially by age.^1,2

New evidence continues to emerge about the role of GLP-1s in reducing cardiovascular and renal risks, and the list of indications is likely to grow as they become more widely prescribed and used. ASHP Midyear attendees can expect discussions on equitable prescribing, interdisciplinary obesity care models, and the ethical challenges of this particular class of drugs.^1,3,4

Trend 3: Dual Priorities in Population Health: Aging Patients and Geriatric Care vs Natal, Prenatal, and Neonatal Care

The 2025 schedule presents a striking juxtaposition: a significant number of sessions addressing the needs of a rapidly rising patient population—namely, aging and geriatric patients—alongside a parallel rise in programming focused on natal, prenatal, and neonatal care. ¹

This juxtaposition reflects a change in US culture. The population is aging as baby boomers reach 80 years of age in 2025; at the same time, living and medical care costs are skyrocketing. Simultaneously, although birth rates continue to fall, numerous states have passed laws restricting access to abortion, which have led to an increase in birth rates in those jurisdictions. Those states also tend to have higher rates of poverty. At both the beginning and end of life, therefore, patients are at a greater risk of poverty and the resulting disparities of medical care and medication access.^5,6

The Importance of ASHP Midyear

Pharmacists are often siloed from each other, especially across state lines. Conferences like ASHP Midyear help break down those silos by discussing these and other emerging trends. Pharmacists continue to play a central role in shaping patient care, and the conversations and insights shared in Las Vegas this year will help to determine the future of health-system pharmacy.

REFERENCES

1. Midyear Clinical Meeting 2025 - ASHP. 20245 Accessed December 4, 2025. https://midyear2025.eventscribe.net/agenda.asp?pfp=FullSchedule

2. Mahase E. GLP-1 agonists: US sees 700% increase over four years in number of patients without diabetes starting treatment. BMJ. Published online July 23, 2024:q1645-q1645. Accessed December 4, 2025. doi:https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q1645

3. GLP-1 Agonists: Wonder Drugs of the 21st Century? Yale School of Medicine. Published July 2, 2024. Accessed December 4, 2025. https://medicine.yale.edu/media-player/glp-1-agonists-wonder-drugs-of-the-21st-century/

4. Badve SV, Bilal A, Lee MMY, et al. Effects of GLP-1 receptor agonists on kidney and cardiovascular disease outcomes: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. 2024;13(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/s2213-8587(24)00271-7

5. US Census Bureau. Older Population and Aging. The United States Census Bureau. Published October 7, 2019. Accessed December 4, 2025. https://www.census.gov/topics/population/older-aging.html

6. Malhi S. Birthrates in the U.S. hit historic low, CDC data show. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/04/26/birth-rates-decline-cdc/. Published April 26, 2024. Accessed December 4, 2025.

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