Walmart eyes bigger role in specialty Rx

While building a 4,500-store retail pharmacy powerhouse in the United States, Walmart also has kept pace with the specialty pharmacy revolution and is positioning itself to play a stronger role in this most innovative, dynamic and complex area of pharmaceutical R&D and bioengineering.

(To view the full report, click here.)



“We have our own in-house specialty pharmacy in Florida, and we feel there’s still a tremendous opportunity to scale this business,” declared Labeed Diab, president of health-and-wellness for Walmart U.S. “Whether that means we grow organically, through a partnership or through acquisition — we’re looking at all of the above.”



Behind Walmart’s determination to stake a bigger claim to the specialty market is a simple fact: “The traditional prescription drug business is pretty much stagnant over the next five years, but that specialty business is growing at 25%,” Diab said.



Based in Orlando, Fla., Walmart Specialty Pharmacy is “a URAC-accredited services provider licensed to distribute specialty medications to all 50 states,” explained VP pharmaceutical merchandising for Walmart U.S. Mark Phillips. The pharmacy is staffed by “a team of experts” who manage “the entire patient journey — from onboarding, benefits investigations and prior authorizations to financial assistance, educational training and fulfillment,” he added.



“Our specialty pharmacy offers a team of pharmacists, nurses and insurance experts dedicated to providing clinical and educational support 24/7 to help customers understand and achieve their treatment goals,” Phillips said. “We also help customers with their insurance claims,” along with “reimbursement assistance for a variety of insurance programs, including Medicare Part B, Medicaid, split-billing patient assistance programs and more.”



The focus for the Orlando-based service center is to make it “easy and convenient for our customers to get their specialty medications, offering services online, at their local store or by phone,” Phillips said. Walmart offers temperature-controlled, free overnight shipping of all medications and supplies, and “customers in the Orlando area can also pick up their prescriptions at our specialty pharmacy location,” he added.



Among the many serious conditions that Walmart’s specialty pharmacists help patients manage are anemia, cancer, Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis, hepatitis, HIV/AIDS and infertility.



Beyond that, the company has developed “Centers of Excellence” within select Walmart pharmacies nationwide, focused on core areas, including oncology, viral infections, inflammatory conditions and multiple sclerosis, Phillips told DSN. Those centers are staffed by “dedicated teams of pharmacists, clinicians and techs to manage the entire patient experience,” he said.