Multi-Million Drug Therapy Innovations Bring Challenges to Healthcare

Pharmacy Forecast outlines pharmacy leaders' roles in innovation

NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Gene therapies hold promise for substantial long-term healthcare savings and transformative health outcomes, but their significant up-front costs present a pressing challenge for the healthcare system, according to a report released today at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exhibition.

New ultra-high-cost gene therapies, with the potential to alter or even cure certain conditions, require specialized management to ensure safe, effective, and equitable access, according to the 2025 ASHP/ASHP Foundation Pharmacy Forecast report. The report highlights the vital role of pharmacists in ensuring infrastructure and staff are in place to manage complex and costly emerging therapies with 75% of participants expecting pharmacists to oversee these therapies, and 58% anticipating Medicare will require pharmacist involvement.

To address these new demands, the Pharmacy Forecast recommends pharmacy leaders establish training programs for pharmacists and technicians, equipping them to handle the emerging therapies with the precision they require. However, the upfront costs associated with these treatments remains a critical hurdle to overcome for their successful integration into healthcare.

"The groundbreaking therapies and technologies that are the most challenging to our healthcare system, like gene therapies and generative artificial intelligence (AI), also provide promising, curative opportunities, said ASHP CEO Paul W. Abramowitz, PharmD, ScD (Hon), FASHP. "This year's Pharmacy Forecast focuses on the future and rethinking how we deliver care, moving beyond traditional models to concentrate on health outcomes that align with patients' individual goals."

The Pharmacy Forecast also discusses the role pharmacists can play in addressing the escalating primary care provider shortage, which is reaching crisis proportions and is impacting patient access and healthcare outcomes. Pharmacists can help solve these workforce issues by participating in team-based care, implementing value-based care models, and expanding remote pharmacist services. By fully integrating pharmacists into primary care, healthcare systems can enhance efficiency, improve patient outcomes, and close the access gap in underserved communities.

"We are witnessing major innovations in healthcare, and strong collaboration is essential," said Joseph T. DiPiro, PharmD, editor of the Pharmacy Forecast." "Pharmacists are poised to play a key role, working alongside other healthcare professionals, to ensure new advances are integrated smoothly and accessibly into health systems for the benefit of all patients."

Other recommendations in the annual report include:

• Financial challenges for health systems are driven by external factors such as health insurance benefit design, the impact of private equity, competition from the retail sector, and other emerging trends. The report highlights the need for pharmacists to take an active role in shaping patient-focused payer reforms, coverage requirements, and expanding sites of care.
• Generative AI is already deployed for documentation in pharmacy, and applications are likely to expand. AI could complement the efforts of the pharmacy team in many ways, including facilitating use of ultra-high-cost drugs through tasks like matching patients to medication assistance programs and facilitating prior authorization. Pharmacist involvement in organizational governance and ensuring transparency and ethical use of AI algorithms is essential.
• Ongoing pharmacy workforce challenges may be addressed by working with schools, communities and professional organizations to raise the profile of the pharmacy profession; expanding the roles of pharmacists on the care team, and increasing the roles of pharmacy technicians.
• Whole-person health is a promising concept that aims to transform the U.S. healthcare system by shifting from a traditional disease-focused model to one that addresses the comprehensive needs of individuals. Pharmacists, along with other healthcare professionals, can advance the whole-person approach to enhance patient outcomes, promote preventive care, and ensure services align with patients' goals.

The Pharmacy Forecast is published online ahead of print and will appear in the Jan. 15, 2025, print issue of AJHP. The Pharmacy Forecast report was supported by a donation from Omnicell Inc. to the David A. Zilz Leaders for the Future Fund of the ASHP Foundation.

SOURCE ASHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists)