Drug Channels News Roundup, May 2021: 340B & PBMs, Benefit Design Problems, Overworked Pharmacists, Hospitals Keep Grabbing Physicians, and New Patent Games

Summer unofficially begins this weekend! Let’s turn up the heat with these sizzling news bites straight from the Drug Channels grill:

• Cardinal Health delivers fresh evidence of PBM profiteering from 340B contract pharmacies

• Pharma critics dare to acknowledge that benefit designs actually matter

• Pharmacists at retail chains are really stressed out

• Hospitals’ takeover of the physician market continues

Plus, more troubling patent news for owners of intellectual property.

P.S. Join the nearly 11,800 followers of my daily links to neat stuff at @DrugChannels on Twitter. You can also follow me on LinkedIn.

Six Trends to Watch in the New Healthcare Economy

Today’s guest post comes from Karen Eckert, Senior Manager of Commercial Support for Clinical Effectiveness at Wolters Kluwer, Health. She also serves as co-chair of Maintenance and Control at the NCPDP.

Karen examines trends in drug development, pricing, and healthcare. She explains how coordinated intelligence can help businesses improve effectiveness in the new healthcare economy.

To learn more, download Six trends and tactics to thrive in the new healthcare economy, a free white paper from Wolters Kluwer.

Read on for Karen’s insights.

The Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation Boom Slows: DCI’s Exclusive Update on the U.S. Market

It’s time for Drug Channels Institute’s annual update of the number of U.S. specialty pharmacies. Fortunately, I had outstanding research assistance. (See photo at right.)

As you will note below, the specialty pharmacy industry remains quite diverse—despite the concentration of dispensing revenues within a small number of companies.

Our proprietary analyses have identified more than 1,200 locations that have achieved specialty pharmacy accreditation from one of the two major independent accreditation organizations. 

Overall accreditation growth appears to be slowing. However, pharmacy locations owned by healthcare providers—hospitals, health systems, physician practices, and providers’ group purchasing organizations—now account for nearly 40% of all accredited specialty pharmacy locations.

Read on for a bite of our arithmomania.

LexisNexis Webinar: Using SDoH Data to Supercharge Outreach and Engagement

Lexis Nexis Webinar: Using SDoH Data to Supercharge Outreach and Engagement
June 24, 2021 | 1:00 pm ET | Virtual Event

The shift to real-world evidence and real-world data has driven a significant transformation in healthcare. While EMR, medical, and pharmacy claims data is important and has traditionally been the main source of information for life science companies, that data doesn’t give a complete picture of the patient. Studies show that medical determinants are only accountable for 20% of healthcare outcomes, whereas social determinants of health account for as much as 50%.

Join experts from LexisNexis® Risk Solutions to:

• Learn how your organization can accelerate its growth by applying data and analytics
• Gain new insight into additional opportunities for R&D
• Support outreach efforts to targeted patient populations

A wealth of data can be extracted from vast sources of public records and proprietary data sources, but more data isn’t always better. Combining the right, clinically validated data points can transform your business and the outcomes you are working to improve.

Register for the June 24 LexisNexis webinar today.

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The content of Sponsored Posts does not necessarily reflect the views of Pembroke Consulting, Inc., Drug Channels, or any of its employees.

Prescribing and Policy Trends Affecting Medication Access in 2021

Today’s guest post comes from Kyle Grimslid, Clinical Solutions Director at CoverMyMeds.

Kyle discusses the prescribing trends and policies that emerged in 2020. He highlights the growing importance of pharmacists and the role of technology in improving patient access, affordability, and adherence.

Read more in CoveryMyMeds’ 2021 Medication Access Report: Legislative and Regulatory Edition. (free download)

Read on for Kyle’s insights.

How Cigna’s Growing Pharmacy Platform Expands Its Channel Power

Last week, Cigna released its earnings for the first quarter of 2021. Links below.

I was struck by how quickly Cigna’s Express Scripts PBM business has increased revenues and prescriptions from its retail pharmacy network. Our second chart below highlights this growth.

The businesses in Cigna's Evernorth segment—especially Express Scripts, Ascent Health Services, and InsideRx—are already providing rebate negotiation, network management, and/or a sourcing platform for Prime Therapeutics, Kroger, Humana, GoodRx, and Amazon. 

I expect Cigna’s influence over the drug channel to expand further as other businesses step onto this burgeoning platform.

Informa Connect’s Formulary, Reimbursement and Access Summit 2021

Informa Connect’s Formulary, Reimbursement and Access Summit 2021
July 27-29, 2021 | Virtual Event
www.informaconnect.com/formulary-access/

Formulary, Reimbursement and Access Summit provides a forum for industry to convene, benchmark and gain strategies to explore new and impending access and managed market challenges within the value-based landscape while providing insights on valuable patient services and support programs, healthcare market coverage and strategies to improve overall access and reimbursements of commercialized drugs.

Drug Channels readers are eligible for an exclusive savings of 10% off* the current rate by using promo code 21FRADC10, be sure to reserve your seat today!

Gain critical insights from a distinguished speaking faculty including:

• Michael Thompson, President & CEO, National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions
• D.R. McCale III, MDY, RMC, Director, Market Access and Reimbursement, Akcea Therapeutics
• Shannon D. Ashmon, MBA, Senior Manager, Access & Reimbursement, Oncology Business Unit, Eisai, Inc.
• Peter Avalos, National Reimbursement Director, Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.
• Jeff Blake, Senior Vice President, Payer Relations, Hemophilia Alliance
• Shawn Gremminger, Health Policy Director, Pacific Business Group on Health
• And many more!

Transform Access Strategies with Compelling Discussions Around

• Formulary Insights – Advancements in Design and Management
• The Future of Rebate Reform – Explore Current and Pending Legislation
• Assess the Landscape for Prior Authorization and Reimbursement Support - Reexamining the Roles of the Manufacturer and the Pharmacy
• Value-Based Contracting Frameworks and Considerations
• Digital Therapies and Telehealth – Define their Role in the Evolving Healthcare Landscape
• And so much more!

Plus! Choose between 3 Interactive Workshops on Day 2!

Drug Channels readers are eligible for an exclusive savings of 10% off* the current rate by using promo code 21FRADC10, be sure to reserve your seat today!

*Offer may not be combined with other offers, category rates, promotions or applied to an existing registration. Offer not valid academic/non-profit registrations.

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The content of Sponsored Posts does not necessarily reflect the views of Pembroke Consulting, Inc., Drug Channels, or any of its employees.

Predicting Enrollment Changes in the COVID Era

Today’s guest post comes from Jill Brown Kettler, Executive Editor at AIS Health, a division of MMIT.

Jill discusses MMIT's proprietary data on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected enrollment in commercial plans, Medicaid, and health insurance exchanges. 

To learn more about 2020 enrollment changes and the 2021 outlook, register for MMIT’s free webinar on May 18 at 1:00 pm ET: Meet the Expert: Predicting Enrollment Changes in the Covid Era.

Read on for Jill’s insights.

DCI’s Top 15 Specialty Pharmacies of 2020: PBMs Expand Amid the Shakeout—While Walgreens’ Outlook Dims

In Drug Channels Institute's list of the top 15 pharmacies of 2020, we show that many of the largest U.S. market participants are now central-fill mail and specialty pharmacies operated by PBMs and insurers.

To complement that broader ranking, we present below our exclusive list of the top 15 pharmacies based on specialty drug dispensing revenues. You will see that PBMs and insurers have increased their dominance over specialty drug channels. Many of the largest independent companies have been acquired.

As we look ahead, CVS Health and Cigna’s Express Scripts seem best positioned for further growth. However, AllianceRx Walgreens Prime—the joint venture between Walgreens Boots Alliance and Prime Therapeutics—faces significant market share loss.

Read on for all the details.

Informa Connect’s Annual Commercial Contracts & Chargebacks Congress

Informa Connect’s Annual Commercial Contracts & Chargebacks Congress
June 23-25, 2021 | Virtual Event
informaconnect.com/contracts-chargebacks

Informa Connect’s 17th Annual Commercial Contracts & Chargebacks Congress, taking place virtually June 23-25, offers crucial updates on policy changes and contracting best practices to increase efficiency, reduce revenue leakage, and streamline chargeback excellence. 

This annual event has become a must-attend for pricing and contracting professionals in the life sciences industry with seasoned leaders and forward-thinking strategies on display. Join industry stakeholders, including manufacturers, wholesalers, GPOs and more, for a robust three-day event offering extended content and actionable strategies in key interest areas in the ever-evolving contracting landscape.

Drug Channels readers are eligible for an exclusive savings of 10% off* the standard rate by using promo code 21CCCDC10, so download the complete conference agenda and reserve your seat today!

Featured Faculty Driving the Conversation:

• John Shakow, Partner, King and Spalding
• Susanne Somerville, Chief Executive Officer, Chronicled
• Edward McAdam, Director, Government Pricing, Contracting Operations & Analytics, Indivior
• Mike Domanico, Vice President Finance, Revenue, Sandoz (Novartis)
• Beth Stevens, Associate Director, Contracts & Pricing, TOLMAR Pharmaceuticals
• Sherice Koonce, Director of Contracts, Hikma Pharmaceuticals
• Fred Fieder, Director, Contract Administration, McKesson
• Susan Lowe, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Operations, FFF Enterprises
• Brian Green, Head of Contract Operations, UCB Pharma
• Felicia Manning, Associate Director, Market Access, Pricing & Reimbursement, Theravance BioPharma US
• And many more!

Hight Impact Topics Transforming the Market Include:

• Policy Update on 340B and Pharmacy Channel Evolution
• Contract Management Reimagined — Operational Excellence Strategies for Increased Process Efficiencies and Reduced Revenue Leakage
• Strategic Contracting Industry Insights Panel — The Confluence of Data, Financial Analytics and Value
• Revolutionize and Automate Transactions using Blockchain
• GPO Panel featuring Vizient, Premier Inc. and more!
• Contract Administration Industry Insights Panel — Process Improvement in Contract Administration and Management — Streamlining Chargeback Operations, GPO Rosters and Channel Operations

Drug Channels readers are eligible for an exclusive savings of 10% off* the standard rate by using promo code 21CCCDC10, so download the complete conference agenda and reserve your seat today!

*Expires 6/25/20210; applies to standard rate only and may not be combined or applied to existing registrations; other restrictions may apply.

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The content of Sponsored Posts does not necessarily reflect the views of Pembroke Consulting, Inc., Drug Channels, or any of its employees.