Asembia

Elizabeth Johnson, LPN, PACS, BPCA, CEO of MedicoCX, co-CEO of Healthcare Advocate Summit, and an Asembia 2023 presenter, discusses why more empathetic approaches that take into account the full range of the patient experience are needed to improve patient-focused health care.

Panelists from Optum Life Sciences, OptumRx, and Takeda discussed the importance of collaboration in creating successful value-based agreements (VBAs) at Asembia 2023.

The American Journal of Managed Care® interviewed 2 presenters at Asembia 2023, gaining insight on how the specialty pharmacy pipeline is growing and how health systems and payers can affect the accessibility and affordability of new specialty therapies.

“As we look over the next decade, the climb is going to be steep, it's going to be challenging, but success is still possible,” said Luke Greenwalt, vice president of market access at IQVIA, during his session at Asembia 2023.

Speakers at the 2023 Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit outlined how artificial intelligence (AI) tools for pharmaceuticals, such as parcel tracking, could reduce operational costs for specialty pharmacies and mitigate drug delivery issues for patients.

A panel on women’s health disparities at the 2023 Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit addressed the current challenges women face regarding health care as well as how digital tools, collaboration between clinics and governments, and more detailed and inclusive research can help improve health equity for all women.

Sebastian Pistritto, chief marketing officer at ParcelShield Holdings, LLC, talks about how technology such as artificial intelligence helps to evaluate data to assist in medication delivery service decision-making, depending on the need of the pharmacy and its patients.

The 2023 Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit featured Juliana (Julie) Reed, executive director of the Biosimilars Forum, who spoke on the challenges still facing the biosimilars industry and how they may impact the success of adalimumab biosimilars in the United States.

A panel at Asembia 2023 discussed what their organizations are doing to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at their organizations, and what others can learn from these efforts.

Naveen Mansukhani, director of operations and account management of Retail Pharmacy Services at Cardinal Health, talks about how the responsibility for saving costs does not just fall on one department or person, but is collaborative and requires strategy.

Connie Sullivan, president and CEO of the National Home Infusion Association (NHIA), discusses why at-home infusion is beneficial to patients and why so many patients reported feeling satisfied with home administration.

Although digital tools can be immensely helpful for creating a personalized, convenient interaction between patients and the health care system, they should not be the end-all be-all method to improve the patient experience, according to a panel discussion at the 2023 Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit.

Fran Gregory, PharmD, vice president of emerging therapies at Cardinal Health, discusses what's to come as a result of a "second wave" of biosimilars hitting the market.

Technology and automation within patient assistance programs can enhance the patient journey and assist pharmaceutical manufacturers at a lower cost, explained Josh Marsh, vice president of Sonexus at Cardinal Health.

At the first business session of Asembia 2023, Ray Tancredi, divisional vice president at Walgreens, provided updates to the 2023 specialty therapy pipeline.

In a panel at the 2023 Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit, speakers presented on the payer perspective regarding biosimilars, including that they feel comfortable preferring multiple biosimilars for the same reference product and are looking for interchangeability designations.

Panelists at the 2023 Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit discussed the myriad of ways that the drug pricing policies of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), such as inflation rebates and a redesign of Medicare Part D plans, will affect payers and manufacturers.

Several presentations at the 2023 Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit, held in Las Vegas, Nevada, from April 30 through May 4, will cover how to address health equity concerns in specialty pharmacy care, the expansion of the biosimilars market, and the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on the US health care system.

At Asembia 2023, there will be a call to action for participants to adjust their current business models and advocate for access to biosimilars with lower list costs, explained Julie Reed, executive director of the Biosimilars Forum.

The organizations that can take on 2-sided risk are usually bigger and that’s not always better for health care, said Jayson Slotnik, partner, Health Policy Strategies, Inc.

Alignment of incentives in the United States do not always support the use of biosimilars or other lower-cost alternatives, said Sonia T. Oskouei, PharmD, BCMAS, DPLA, vice president of biosimilars at Cardinal Health.

As biosimilar competition heats up in the United States, payers have more tools at their disposal to manage these agents.

Many payers are not familiar with digital therapeutics, indicating the need for better education among payers, said Jayne Hornung, chief clinical officer, pharmacy, MMIT.

There are an increasing number of targeted therapies in oncology, but challenges around biomarker testing and treatment selection remain.

The logistics for storing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies remain a challenge, said Joel Wayment, vice president of operations for 3PL Services, Cardinal Health.

Across commercial insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid populations, oncology is the top category of spend, and the drug pipeline has increasing specific and complex therapies.

While 2023 is a big year with at least 7 adalimumab biosimilars expected to come to market, 2024 will be even more important because all the products will be on the market and formulary decisions can be made, said Sonia T. Oskouei, PharmD, BCMAS, DPLA, vice president of biosimilars at Cardinal Health.

Pediatric patients with asthma and their caregivers are faced with significant health and cost burdens, and biologics provide an opportunity to improve quality of life and asthma control, according to a panel of experts.

While CMS has started making changes to address health equity through policy and payment models, commercial plans are waiting to see the outcomes before they follow suit, said Jayson Slotnik, partner, Health Policy Strategies, Inc.

Biosimilar adoption can be accelerated or stymied depending on actions taken by the managed care space, explained Sonia Oskouei, PharmD, vice president, biosimilars, Cardinal Health, during a session at Asembia’s Specialty Pharmacy Summit.