AllianceRx Walgreens Prime Dispensing Arcalyst and Gavreto

AllianceRx Walgreens Prime (AllianceRx) is offering Arcalyst (rilonacept) and Gavreto (pralsetinib), two medicines prescribed for the treatment of specific kinds of cancer as well as an autoinflammatory cardiovascular disease.

Arcalyst is the first and only FDA approved product for the treatment of recurrent pericarditis and reduction in risk of recurrence. Pericarditis is a painful and debilitating autoinflammatory cardiovascular disease associated with swelling of the saclike membrane surrounding the heart.

Arcalyst also is approved by the FDA for the treatment of Cryopyrin-Associated Periodic Syndromes, a group of rare hereditary autoinflammatory disorders, including Familial Cold Autoinflammatory Syndrome and Muckle-Wells Syndrome, and for the maintenance of remission of Deficiency of Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist, an autoinflammatory disease affecting fewer than 50 people worldwide. 

Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals (Kiniksa) manufactures Arcalyst, which is also a registered trademark of Regeneron. Arcalyst had $7.7 million as reported in Kiniksa’s recent second quarter 2021 results. The company expects third quarter revenue to increase to between $9 and $10 million.

AllianceRx is one of a small number of specialty pharmacies dispensing Arcalyst that includes AcariaHealth, Accredo, CVS Specialty and OptumRx.

Gavreto, manufactured by Blueprint Medicines, is a once-daily oral prescription medicine used to treat certain cancers caused by abnormal RET-positive (rearranged during transfection) genes in non-small-cell lung cancer that has spread (metastatic) or advanced thyroid cancer that may have spread. 

Gavreto’s sales in Blueprint Medicines quarter was $1.8 million. Blueprint is working with Genentech to grow its share of new patients. GAVRETO Access Solutions works with 14 specialty pharmacies (SPs) to help patients receive their medicines= including AllianceRx.

Takeaway: Pharmaceutical manufacturers look to leverage AllianceRx’s experience in helping to improve adherence and persistence in dispensing specialty drugs