Ahead of the Curve

As the field of specialty pharmacy continues to grow, there is an increased need for communication, discussion, and advocacy.

There is nothing like being ahead of the curve. Specialty Pharmacy Times was launched in October 2010, and for the past 2 years, the journal has presented substantive, informative, and insightful articles and columns written by leaders in the industry. Our focus on the “business and practice of pharmacy,” under the astute direction of our Editor-in- Chief Dan Steiber, RPh, has proved to be a winning formula.

We’ve heard from many industry players that this journal offers a wonderful guide to and detailed information about the important issues facing the profession today—and just at a time when it was needed the most. Specialty pharmacy was—and is—booming. So it is not surprising that the profession is seeing a growth in meetings and associations that seek to capture the attention of the players in this burgeoning market. As Pharmaceutical Commerce noted, “You know that an area of business activity is reaching a certain level of maturity when trade or professional organizations spring up to address the particular needs of that activity. A land-rush sprint is occurring right now as new groups form up to corral the businesses associated with specialty pharmacy.”

Asking “Who will represent the specialty pharmacy business?” they provide a rundown of the new associations and meetings that the specialty pharmacy profession can expect to see in the coming months. Armada Health, for example, is changing its 9-year Armada Summit into the Specialty Pharmacy Association of America meeting in May. Another group, the new National Association of Specialty Pharmacy, will join forces with the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy in April. The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association focuses on specialty in late March at its Specialty Pharmacy Business Forum. In February, the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute meeting offered a specialty-focused program at its meeting. All in all, there’s a lot of activity in specialty pharmacy.

As business is growing for specialty, certainly there is a greater need for more communication and discussion. By launching our website last year— see www.SpecialtyPharmacyTimes.com—we’ve created just such a place for exchange and information. We are committed to continue to offer news and trends, new drug approvals, and key interviews, company profiles, and much more, all to reflect what is happening. As the entrepreneurial spirit continues to evolve in this segment of pharmacy, we are proud to have been ahead of the curve. And as specialty pharmacy continues to boom, you can count on us to keep ahead in new and different ways to serve this important industry with the information its members need to succeed.

Thank you for reading!

Mike HennessyChairman/Chief Executive Officer