Cardinal Health announces new specialty drug services

At its annual retail business conference in Seattle, Cardinal Health this week announced new services designed to make it easier for community pharmacies to improve patients’ access to specialty medications.

The Cardinal Health Specialty Pharmacy Alliance will provide patients both access to specialty medicines and the support services required for many specialty medications. Some manufacturers of specialty drugs will only distribute the medications through specialty pharmacies that can provide complex patient care.

“Over the next five years, sales of specialty drugs that are used to treat complex illnesses ranging from cancer and AIDS to hepatitis C and multiple sclerosis are expected to grow by at least 17% annually,” said Ray Rede, vice president, managed care relations, Community Specialty Pharmacy Network (CSPN). “As early at 2015, specialty drugs are expected to dominate the top 10 dispensed drug rankings. Given these projected growth rates, it’s critically important that community pharmacists have access to resources that can help them serve the specialty medication needs of their patients.”

Specialty Pharmacy Alliance will use Cardinal Health’s OncoSource Rx, which offers services designed to improve patient compliance with specialty drug regimens and to help patients better manage the clinical and financial issues associated with these medications.

In related news, Cardinal Health announced that its retail pharmacy customers now have access to more than 40,000 home medical products through Independence Medical. Cardinal Health acquired Independence Medical earlier this year. It is a leading distributor of disposable medical supplies and durable medical equipment.

“In today’s increasingly competitive healthcare landscape, it’s more important than ever before that community pharmacies find innovative ways to grow their businesses while meeting their patients’ evolving healthcare needs,” said Jon Giacomin, president of U.S. pharmaceutical distribution for Cardinal Health’s pharmaceutical segment. “This new offering will help retail pharmacies diversify their revenue while also strengthening their role as a local health care destination in the communities they serve.”