Viewpoints: The Last Word

Community-based specialty pharmacies are poised as trendsetters to represent a trend in the delivery of oncology products.

From its creation, Diplomat University at Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy has been structured around its primary objective to provide a high-level of ongoing education to enable staff and partners to take the best possible care of patients.

Action is needed now to ensure that independent pharmacies are not left behind in the wake of this historic merger.

Pharmacies with a vision of the future can participate in this thriving market. Small chains and even retailers are establishing a foothold in specialty pharmacy, and they are thriving, while traditional retailers are finding ways to participate actively.

Competition is heating up in the specialty marketplace as investment capital is drawn in and the pharmaceutical industry shifts from traditional brand-name drugs to specialty drugs over the next few years.

The roots of specialty pharmacy began in community retail pharmacy. Given a choice, specialty patients will choose a local specialty pharmacy to access their medicines and manage their care.

Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy's president and chief executive officer shares his thoughts about the turbulent oncology arena and how specialty pharmacists can survive the storm and prosper.

The exploration of the freedom to operate in the specialty biopharmaceutical market, which requires specific steps and processes.

Specialty pharmaceuticals, and the supporting patient and physician ancillary services, have emerged as a focal point for the majority of manufacturers. The increasing number of specialty drugs available in the United States, coupled with the heightened research and development focus of major pharmaceutical manufacturers on biotech therapies, has resulted in an unprecedented shift in dynamics across the prescription drug industry.