New specialty pharmacy association launches

Armada Health Care has announced the launch of the Specialty Pharmacy Association of America (SPAARx), a freestanding national organization that will represent the interests of professionals within the specialty pharmacy industry. It will be featured during Armada’s annual pharmacy summit in May.

Promoting business interests
The main goals of the organization will be to preserve and promote the business interests of specialty pharmacy and to foster professional and personal growth opportunities within the industry. Attendees of the 9th Annual Armada Specialty Pharmacy Summit, taking place in Las Vegas the week of May 6, can join the new association as charter members, Armada said in a press statement.

“Over the past several months, numerous industry stakeholders have encouraged Armada to take the lead and create a new, industry-aligned association for specialty pharmacy. After much consideration, we responded with the plan to utilize our annual summit as the springboard,” said Armada CEO Lawrence Irene.
He added, “We see this as a natural progression for the evolution of our annual conference as it continues to grow. The reputation, size, and scope of our annual conference will give the new association instant credibility in the marketplace. It is the perfect venue as it provides a neutral and unified focal point for the rapidly expanding specialty pharmacy industry.”

Two weeks after the the new group launched, more than 1,000 members had already joined. “We are extremely pleased to see such strong interest in SPAARx,” said Irene in a press release.

The SPAARx will be governed by a board of directors composed of executives from a diverse group of specialty pharmacies and related organizations. Board members will help to establish the new association’s mission, objectives, and future activities.

For more information, go to the Armada website (www.armadahealthcare.com).