Davy James, Managing Editor

As the cost of treating the disease has risen, so too have the direct medical care expenses that patients pay out of pocket, as commercial insurers increasingly shift the burden of paying for treatment to patients through higher premiums, deductibles, and co-pays.

The specialty lite platform leverages the current infrastructure of specialty pharmacies with efficient services and emerging technological solutions that focus on ensuring prescription fulfillment with economic feasibility.

With change on the horizon in the health care sector, the 6th Annual National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP) Meeting and Educational Conference returned with a strong message echoing the importance of advocacy on behalf of patients and the profession as a whole.

Those who do not get involved in health care reform efforts to make sure their voices are heard risk ceding important decisions to those who may lack the insight to make meaningful change.

Testing individuals not considered high-risk for hepatitis C virus addresses increase in new infections associated with opioid epidemic.

Surviving cancer during childhood can lead to health problems and depression later in life.

Botox injections found to decrease urinary incontinence and improve quality of life for patients with multiple sclerosis.

The annual cost of treating cancer is projected to rise to $173 billion by 2020, a 39% increase since 2010.

Pharmacy benefit manager says it retained approximately $300 million in drug rebates, well under the $2 billion amount that some projected.

American Medical Association urges the Department of Justice to block merger between CVS Health and Aetna due to concerns over anticompetitive practices in health care market.

Medications with biosimilar and generic alternatives favored on pharmacy benefit manager’s national preferred formulary for 2019.

Separate letters sent by a group of senators and congress members request Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to halt retroactive direct and indirect remuneration fees.

The oncology treatment landscape is currently in the midst of an extraordinary evolution, with significant progress achieved in the development of both targeted and immunooncology treatments.

Caught in the middle of a maelstrom of change currently engulfing the health care industry, specialty pharmacy is emerging as a powerful force that will play a key role in the growing conversations regarding value in health care.

Spending on specialty medications is rapidly approaching half of overall medicine spending from a small volume of prescriptions filled.

Pharmacy benefit manager reports specialty drugs drive 97% of spending for hereditary angioedema care.

Study finds improving adherence to disease-modifying multiple sclerosis medications could reduce clinical relapses while saving on medical costs.

Pharmacy benefit manager study indicates that moving patients with hemophilia from standard half-life to extended half-life coagulation factor products carries a significant cost increase.

New treatments for cystic fibrosis, migraines, and multiple sclerosis expected to help push specialty drug costs on the pharmacy benefit to nearly 50% of total drug spending by 2020.

Epidiolex would be the first plant-based cannabinoid approved by the FDA and would create a new category of anti-epileptic drugs.

Top news of the day from across the health care landscape.

Top news of the day from across the health care landscape.

Top news of the day from across the health care landscape.

Top news of the day from across the health care landscape.

Top news of the day from across the healthcare landscape.

Top news of the day from across the health care landscape.

Alex M. Azar II, JD, discusses problems with the Affordable Care Act and the spread of misinformation surrounding drug costs during a session at the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy Annual Meeting and Educational Conference.

Sen Bill Cassidy, MD, spoke about the need for health care reform and the value of the specialty pharmacy at this year’s National Association of Specialty Pharmacy Annual Meeting and Educational Conference.

Meeting accreditation standards in the temperature-sensitive distribution process requires careful monitoring.

Rheumatoid arthritis carries risks for several comorbidities that can affect organ systems, such as the heart and lungs.