AllianceRx Walgreens Prime expands specialty drugs for rare conditions

AllianceRx Walgreens Prime, one of the largest specialty and home delivery pharmacies in the country, has additional medicines available to patients with certain rare, chronic and complex conditions.

Known as limited-distribution drugs, these specialty medicines treat certain types of multiple sclerosis, heart disease and a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, among other complex conditions.

Since last spring, the following drugs have been added to its list of limited-distribution drugs:

• Mavenclad (cladribine) tablets are the first and only short-course oral treatment for relapsing forms of MS, including relapsing-remitting disease, or RRMS and active secondary progressive disease or SPMS in adults. Mavenclad is generally recommended for patients who have had an inadequate response to, or are unable to tolerate, alternate drugs prescribed for the treatment of MS. EMD Serono manufactures Mavenclad;


• Mayzent (siponimod) is used to treat relapsing forms of MS, including CIS, RRMS and active SPMS, in adults. It is the first and only pill studied and proven in active SPMS. Novartis manufactures Mayzent;


• Polivy (polatuzumab vedotin-piiq) is used with other medicines – specifically, the chemotherapy drug bendamustine and a rituximab product – to treat patients whose diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, or DLBCL has come back or worsened after at least two prior therapies. Polivy is manufactured by Genentech. DLBCL is the most common type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the United States;


• Relizorb (immobilized lipase) is a first-of-its-kind digestive enzyme cartridge designed for use in pediatric (ages 5 years and older) and adult patients to hydrolyze (break down by chemical reaction with water) fats while receiving enteral nutrition. Fats that are not hydrolyzed could result in patients receiving fewer calories, having weight loss, and a shortage of omega-3 fats which are important for normal growth and development. Relizorb is manufactured by Alcresta; and


• Vyndaqel (tafamidis meglumine) and Vyndamax (tafamidis), manufactured by Pfizer, are both used to treat cardiomyopathy (chronic heart disease) caused by transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis, or ATTR-CM in adults. ATTR is caused by the buildup of abnormal deposits of specific proteins known as amyloid in the body's organs and tissues, interfering with their normal functioning. These are the first FDA-approved treatments for ATTR-CM;

“Manufacturers choose AllianceRx Walgreens Prime as a limited distribution drug partner because they value our ability to support patients throughout their treatment journey,” vice president of pharmacy services at AllianceRx Walgreens Prime Tracey James said. “They know we are committed to delivering the high-touch care these patients need, while striving to contain costs and drive health outcomes.”