Specialty Pharmacy News Roundup: April 2023

AIS Healthcare

AIS Healthcare filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court alleging that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming breached its contract with the company and refused to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for the care it provided to patients. The specialty pharmacy sued after what its lawyers say has been months of inaction by Blue Cross Blue Shield and after receiving a letter from the health insurance company requesting payment for more than $250,000 it said the pharmacy billed incorrectly. AIS Healthcare specializes in the manufacturing of personalized medicines for patients reliant on home infusion therapy.

The treatment is reserved for those with debilitating pain and severe conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries and cancer.

 

AmerisourceBergen

TPG, a global alternative asset management firm, and AmerisourceBergen agreed to acquire OneOncology, a network of leading oncology practices, from General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm. TPG has agreed to acquire a majority interest in OneOncology, and AmerisourceBergen will acquire a minority interest in the company. OneOncology’s affiliated practices, physicians, and management team will also retain a minority interest in the company. The transaction values OneOncology at $2.1 billion. TPG, AmerisourceBergen, and OneOncology’s affiliated practices, physicians, and management team will form a new joint venture that will acquire OneOncology from its existing shareholders, including current majority owner General Atlantic. AmerisourceBergen will purchase its minority interest in the joint venture for approximately $685 million in cash, which will represent approximately 35% ownership in the joint venture.

 

Biologics by McKesson

Biologics by McKesson, an independent specialty pharmacy specializing in oncology and rare diseases, was selected by Reata Pharmaceuticals as the sole specialty pharmacy provider for SKYCLARYSTM (omaveloxolone), the first and only treatment for Friedreich’s ataxia (FA). SKYCLARYS was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Feb. 28, 2023, for the treatment of FA in adults and adolescents aged 16 years and older, along with a rare pediatric disease priority review voucher.

 

CenterWell Specialty Pharmacy

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for Apellis Pharmaceuticals’ Syfovre (pegcetacoplan injection) to treat geographic atrophy (GA), an advanced form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Syfovre has been approved for use in people with GA with or without subfoveal involvement and offers to dose flexibility with a regimen of every 25 to 60 days for patients and physicians.  It provides comprehensive control of the complement cascade, which is part of the immune system of the body, by targeting C3. CenterWell Specialty Pharmacy is one of three specialty pharmacies in the drugs limited distribution network.

 

Cigna/Evernorth Express Scripts

Accredo, the specialty pharmacy arm of Cigna’s Evernorth unit, launched a program that will give patients and plan sponsors access to a suite of solutions that can help them better manage the cost and dispensing of therapies for rare diseases, and the program will initially focus on hemophilia patients, with plans to expand to other illnesses. The Evernorth Therapeutic Resource Center Plus will offer discounts on all treatment options such as gene therapies, and will allow patients to connect to an Accredo pharmacist, who will serve as gateway to the care team.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for Apellis Pharmaceuticals’ Syfovre (pegcetacoplan injection) to treat geographic atrophy (GA), an advanced form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Syfovre has been approved for use in people with GA with or without subfoveal involvement and offers to dose flexibility with a regimen of every 25 to 60 days for patients and physicians.  It provides comprehensive control of the complement cascade, which is part of the immune system of the body, by targeting C3. Accredo Specialty Pharmacy is one of three specialty pharmacies in the drugs limited distribution network.

 

CVS Health

M&A Healthcare Advisors (MAHA), a boutique merger and acquisition (M&A) advisory group, announced the sale of Hoover Pharmacy, a Specialty & Retail Pharmacy based in the San Francisco Bay area focused on serving Stanford Medical Campus patients. Hoover Pharmacy’s files were acquired by CVS and all patients will now receive dispensing service at their local Palo Alto branch.

 

Elliot Health System

Shields Health Solutions announced that it is partnering with Elliot Health System, the largest provider of comprehensive healthcare services in Southern New Hampshire, to launch a new pharmacy program to meet the unique needs of patients with complex, chronic conditions. The program will increase access to specialized pharmacy services designed to lower costs, expand treatment options, enhance medication management, and improve overall health.

The program with Elliot Health System and Shields will initially serve a variety of disease states and clinics including rheumatology, gastroenterology, neurology, pulmonology, oncology, endocrinology and family medicine. Specialty pharmacy liaisons will guide patients and caregivers who fill prescriptions with Elliot Health System and will work with patients on-site. These liaisons can assist patients and families with navigating barriers to care, such as health insurance prior authorizations or securing financial assistance, regardless of the location where they fill their prescription.

 

Hy-Vee

Hy-Vee opened a health infusion clinic in West Des Moines, Iowa. The infusion clinic is referral-based and will provide treatments for rheumatology, gastroenterology, pulmonary, neurology, dermatology, oncology and other chronic conditions. The freestanding clinic is staffed by licensed physicians and nurse practitioners. It features three private infusion rooms and five group infusion suites, offering a comfortable setting for patients receiving specialty treatments.

 

Onco360

Onco360® has been selected by Incyte as a specialty pharmacy partner for JAKAFI® (ruxolitinib). JAKAFI is an FDA-approved treatment for adults with Polycythemia vera (PV), Myelofibrosis, and adults and children 12 years of age and older with Acute or Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GVHD).

 

Optum Specialty Pharmacy

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for Apellis Pharmaceuticals’ Syfovre (pegcetacoplan injection) to treat geographic atrophy (GA), an advanced form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Syfovre has been approved for use in people with GA with or without subfoveal involvement and offers to dose flexibility with a regimen of every 25 to 60 days for patients and physicians.  It provides comprehensive control of the complement cascade, which is part of the immune system of the body, by targeting C3. Optum Specialty Pharmacy is one of three specialty pharmacies in the drugs limited distribution network.

 

Orsini Specialty Pharmacy

Eyad Farah recently started a new position as Chief Operating Officer at Orsini Specialty Pharmacy As Chief Operating Officer (COO), Eyad leads Orsini’s operations for specialty pharmacy, gene therapy, patient support/hub services, quality, and training. He brings over two decades of extensive experience in the pharmacy space providing strategic direction and leadership, resulting in year-over-year organizational business growth and expansion. Before joining Orsini, Eyad held multiple leadership positions at McKesson, including President of Pharmacy & Healthcare Solutions.

 

Walgreens

Walgreens and Prothena announced a collaboration to accelerate patient identification and recruitment for Prothena’s ongoing ASCENT-2 multiple ascending dose clinical trial evaluating the safety and tolerability of PRX012. PRX012 is a potential best-in-class anti-amyloid beta antibody under development for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. As part of the collaboration, Walgreens will leverage its national footprint, portfolio of industry-leading healthcare companies and compliance framework to match patient populations to this Prothena clinical trial for PRX012, which the Food and Drug Administration has granted Fast Track designation

People with multiple sclerosis and their caregivers can access Cariloop’s caregiver support services at select Walgreens neurology-specialty pharmacies. Cariloop’s platform for caregivers combines professional coaching services and cloud-based tools that help families plan for and manage every aspect of their caregiving journey. In this program, individuals with MS and their caregivers will have access to Cariloop’s Care Coaches, who complement Walgreens pharmacists by offering support that minimizes barriers to optimal, timely treatment and care. With more community-based specialty pharmacies across the nation than any other retail pharmacy, Walgreens patients who require specialty medications and care can get individualized, in-person support to manage chronic, complex conditions like MS, HIV, cancer, infertility and cystic fibrosis. This program is available through Dec. 31, 2023. Cariloop and Walgreens will gather insights from the program to inform further decisions regarding the collaboration.

  

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