Putting a Face on High-Cost Specialty Drugs

When you put a face on the impact of high-cost specialty drugs, it is hard to ignore the expenses. Until solutions are found, pharmacists are once again caught between a patient in need of treatment and an expensive medication that he or she cannot afford.

The community pharmacist is often the only health care professional put into this position. The prescriber does not have to deal with the patient who hears what the cost of the drugs is. Even the mail-order pharmacist does not see a patient’s reaction to the cost of therapy. In addition, the specialty pharmacy staff only deals with patients who have paid for the care, not those who cannot afford it.

I can see why many pharmacists have a hard time defending the high costs of specialty drugs. If I knew the patient personally, I would, too.