DrSN to debut publication aimed at specialty pharmacy
NEW YORK —A segment of pharmacy worth almost $100 billion and expected to more than quintuple in size within the next 20 years will soon get new media coverage.
The Drug Store News Group, in affiliation with Armada Health Care, plans to launch Specialty Pharmacy magazine in August to cover the rapidly growing area of pharmacy. The magazine will be published on a quarterly basis starting next January. It is the latest addition to the Drug Store News Group of publications, which also include the flagship magazine, as well as Retail Clinician, Pharmacy Tech News, Pharmacy Practice and electronic media.
Specialty pharmacy targets chronic conditions that require complex therapy regimens tailored to individual patients and that often demand expensive biotech drugs administered by injection. While patients with such diseases as HIV, AIDS, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis once had to be treated in a hospital, specialty pharmacy allows them to obtain treatment at clinics or at home.
“The $70 billion to $80 billion specialty pharmacy market, which is being fueled by a rapidly expanding pipeline, is forecast to grow to more than $500 billion in the next 15 to 20 years,” stated John Kenlon, Drug Store News Group publisher. “Specialty Pharmacy is a new informational resource created exclusively for the industry executives and pharmacy professionals who are leading the way.”
In 1990, there were 10 specialty pharmaceuticals on the market. By 2010, that number is expected to reach 500, with 2,000 more in various stages of development. According to pharmacy benefit manager Medco’s 2009 “Drug Trend Report,” specialty drugs accounted for 60% of drug spending growth, while IMS Health rankings of the top 15 drugs by U.S. sales include such specialty medicines as Amgen’s cancer drug Neulasta (pegfilgrastim), Johnson & Johnson’s cancer drug Remicade (infliximab) and the rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis drug Enbrel (etanercept) by Amgen and Wyeth.
“From one end of the pipeline to the other, the specialty pharmacy marketplace is driven by innovation,” said Lawrence Irene, Armada Health Care CEO. “We are proud to work with Drug Store News to launch Specialty Pharmacy. Together, we will help to further educate the pharmacy industry about the people, programs and potential that are moving this market forward.”