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Specialty Pharmacy
Specialty pharmacy refers to distribution channels designed to handle specialty drugs — pharmaceutical therapies that are high cost, high complexity or high touch. High touch refers to higher degree of complexity in terms of distribution, administration, or patient management which drives up the cost of the drugs. In the early years specialty pharmacy providers attached "high-touch services to their overall price tags" arguing that patients who receive specialty pharmaceuticals "need high levels of ancillary and follow-up care to ensure that the drug spend is not wasted on them." An example of a specialty drug that would only be available through specialty pharmacy is interferon beta-1a ( Avonex), a treatment for MS that requires a refrigerated chain of distribution and costs $17,000 a year. Some specialty pharmacies deal in pharmaceuticals that treat complex or rare chronic conditions such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, H.I.V. psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Specialty Drugs
Specialty drugs or specialty pharmaceuticals are a recent designation of pharmaceuticals classified as high-cost, high complexity and/or high touch. Specialty drugs are often biologics—"drugs derived from living cells" that are injectable or infused (although some are oral medications). They are used to treat complex or rare chronic conditions such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, H.I.V. psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease and hepatitis C. In 1990 there were 10 specialty drugs on the market, around five years later nearly 30, by 2008 200, and by 2015 300. Drugs can be defined as specialty because of their high price. Medicare defines any drug with a negotiated price of $670 per month or more as a specialty drug. These drugs are placed in a specialty tier requiring a higher patient cost sharing. Drugs are also identified as specialty when there is a special handling requirement or the drug is only available via a limited distributions network. By 2015 "specialty ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orphan Drug
An orphan drug is a medication, pharmaceutical agent that is developed to treat certain rare medical conditions. An orphan drug would not be profitable to produce without government assistance, due to the small population of patients affected by the conditions. The conditions that orphan drugs are used to treat are referred to as orphan diseases. The assignment of orphan status to a disease and to drugs developed to treat it is a matter of public policy that depends on the legislation (if there is any) of the country. Designation of a drug as an orphan drug has yielded medical breakthroughs that might not otherwise have been achieved, due to the economics of drug medical research, research and development. Examples of this can be that in the U.S. and the EU, it is easier to gain marketing approval for an orphan drug. There may be other financial incentives, such as an extended period of exclusivity, during which the producer has sole rights to market the drug. All are intended to en ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Commcare Pharmacy
Commcare Pharmacy is a pharmacy with headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The company was #374 on '' Inc.'' magazine's 2009 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. History Commcare was founded in 1996. The company's line of business includes home health care services. As a specialty pharmacy, Commcare has access to and dispenses restricted distribution products. These products are typically not available via other distribution channels (such as retail pharmacies) due to FDA The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ... restrictions. References American companies established in 1996 Retail companies established in 1996 Companies based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Pharmacies of the United States 1996 establishments in Florida Health care com ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walgreens
Walgreens is an American pharmacy store chain. It is the second largest in the United States, behind CVS Pharmacy. As of March 2025, the company operated more than 8,700 stores in the U.S. Walgreens has been the subject of a number of lawsuits over discrimination, drug fraud, federal billing fraud, distribution of opioids, discrepancies between shelf price and scanned price, overcharging, illegal disposal of hazardous waste, selling expired items, misleading investors, unlicensed pharmacists, and wage theft. Founded in Chicago in 1901, Walgreens is headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Deerfield, Illinois. On December 31, 2014, Walgreens acquired Switzerland and UK-based Alliance Boots, and formed a new holding company, Walgreens Boots Alliance. Walgreens became a subsidiary of the new company, which retained its Deerfield headquarters and trades on the Nasdaq under the symbol WBA. In 2021 the company was one of several pharmacy chains found by a federal jury to have sub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Express Scripts
Express Scripts Holding Company is a pharmacy benefit management (PBM) organization. In 2017 it was the 22nd-largest company in the United States by total revenue as well as the largest pharmacy benefit management (PBM) organization in the United States. Express Scripts had 2016 revenues of $100.752 billion. Since December 20, 2018, the company has been a direct subsidiary of Bloomfield, Connecticut-based Cigna. The term "Scripts" in the company title refers to the widely used clipped version of prescription. Headquartered in Greater St. Louis within unincorporated North St. Louis County, Missouri, Express Scripts provides integrated pharmacy benefit management services including network-pharmacy claims processing; home delivery pharmacy services; specialty pharmacy benefit management, through its subsidiary Accredo; benefit-design consultation; drug-utilization review; formulary management; and medical and drug data analysis services to manage drug plans for health plans ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County ( ) is a County (United States), county in Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the List of counties in Pennsylvania, state's second-most populous county, after Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia County. Its county seat and most populous city is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's second most populous city. The county is part of the Greater Pittsburgh region of the commonwealth, and is the center of the Pittsburgh Media Market, Pittsburgh media market. Allegheny was the first county in Pennsylvania to be given a Native Americans in the United States, Native American name. It was named after the Lenape word for the Allegheny River. The meaning of "Allegheny" is uncertain. It is usually said to mean "fine river". Some historians state that the name may come from a Lenape account of an ancient mythical tribe called ''"Allegewi"'', who lived along the river before being taken over by the Lenape. History ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
CVS Health
CVS Health Corporation is an American healthcare company that owns CVS Pharmacy, a retail pharmacy chain; CVS Caremark, a pharmacy benefits manager; and Aetna, a health insurance provider, among many other brands. The company is the world's second largest healthcare company, behind UnitedHealth Group. In 2023, the company was ranked 64th in the ''Forbes'' Global 2000. CVS started in Lowell, Massachusetts by brothers Stanley and Sidney Goldstein and their partner Ralph Hoagland. The name stood for Consumer Value Stores. CVS and its subsidiaries have faced numerous controversies, including health and Medicare fraud, patient privacy violations, prescription errors, financial restatements, deceptive business practices, pharmaceutical kickbacks, and involvement in a political corruption case, resulting in hundreds of millions in settlements and widespread criticism. History 1960s The first Consumer Value Store (CVS), selling health and beauty products, was founded in 1963, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Growth Hormones
Growth hormone (GH) or somatotropin, also known as human growth hormone (hGH or HGH) in its human form, is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration in humans and other animals. It is thus important in human development. GH also stimulates production of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and increases the concentration of glucose and free fatty acids. It is a type of mitogen which is specific only to the receptors on certain types of cells. GH is a 191-amino acid, single-chain polypeptide that is synthesized, stored and secreted by somatotropic cells within the lateral wings of the anterior pituitary gland. A recombinant form of HGH called somatropin ( INN) is used as a prescription drug to treat children's growth disorders and adult growth hormone deficiency. In the United States, it is only available legally from pharmacies by prescription from a licensed health care provider. In recent years in the United States, some health care ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Imiglucerase
Imiglucerase is a medication used in the treatment of Gaucher's disease. It is a recombinant DNA-produced analogue of the human enzyme β-glucocerebrosidase. Cerezyme is a freeze-dried medicine containing imiglucerase, manufactured by Genzyme Corporation. It is given intravenously after reconstitution as a treatment for Type 1 and Type 3 Gaucher's disease. It is available in formulations containing 200 or 400 units per vial. The specific activity of highly purified human enzyme is 890,000 units/mg, meanwhile the enzyme activity produced by recombinant DNA technology is approximately 40 units/mg. A typical dose is 2.5U/kg every two weeks, up to a maximum of 60 U/kg once every two weeks, and safety has been established from ages 2 and up. It is one of more expensive medications, with an annual cost of $200,000 per person in the United States. Imiglucerase has been granted orphan drug status in the United States, Australia, and Japan. Cerezyme was one of the drugs manufactured at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henri Termeer
Henri A. Termeer (February 28, 1946 – May 12, 2017) was a Dutch biotechnology executive and entrepreneur. He served as CEO at Genzyme from 1981 to 2011. Termeer created a business model, subsequently adopted by others in the industry, based on charging high prices for therapies for rare genetic disorders affecting children, known as orphan diseases. Genzyme used biological processes to manufacture drugs that were not easily copied by generic drug manufacturers. The drugs were protected by orphan drug acts, limiting competition and ensuring coverage by publicly funded insurers. As CEO of Genzyme, he developed corporate strategies for growth including optimizing institutional embeddedness, nurturing networks of influential groups and clusters: doctors, private equity, patient-groups, insurance, healthcare umbrella organizations, state and local government, and alumni. Termeer was "connected to 311 board members in 17 different organizations across 20 different industries". Oral h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alglucerase
Alglucerase was a biopharmaceutical drug for the treatment of Gaucher's disease. It was a modified form of human β-glucocerebrosidase enzyme, where the non-reducing ends of the oligosaccharide chains have been terminated with mannose residues. Ceredase is the trade name of a citrate buffered solution of alglucerase that was manufactured by Genzyme Corporation from human placental tissue. It is given intravenously in the treatment of Type 1 Gaucher's disease. This was the first drug approved as an enzyme replacement therapy. It was approved by the FDA in 1991. It has been withdrawn from the marketFDA Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drug Product List. 32ND Edition Cumulative Supplement Number 3: March 2012. Additions/Deletions for Prescription Drug Product List/ref> due to the approval of similar drugs made with recombinant DNA technology instead of being harvested from tissue; drugs made recombinantly, since there is no concern about diseases being transmitted from the t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
