Raising the Curtain on our New Blog!

Apr 05, 2021

By:Joel Wright, Chief Executive Officer, AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy

Welcome to our new blog!

This is where you will find the latest news and information about AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy. From research findings we are presenting at industry conferences, to new products we are launching to improve our patients’ treatment journey, you will soon learn why we’re one of the leading specialty and home delivery pharmacies in the country.

Plus, each month you’ll hear from the leaders of our pharmacy – those who are instrumental in steering our organization – and the specialty pharmacy industry – forward for the good of our patients. With that, it seems fitting to introduce Chief Executive Officer Joel Wright, who shares his thoughts on a number of topics:

• The global pandemic,

• Providing access to limited distribution medications,

• Addressing the high cost of high-touch medications, and

• The future of specialty pharmacy.

It’s been one year since the pandemic turned our worlds upside down. What impact do you think the pandemic has had on the way specialty pharmacies care for patients?

The impact of the pandemic has been incredible, completely influencing the way we work and interact with our patients. Our team did an incredible job stepping up and making sure patients got their medications as smoothly as possible. It was also great to see how our patients responded too. Many began to reach us using the digital tools we developed to care for them. We were able to fast track several digital innovations to help patients self-manage their prescriptions online – our patients told us that is what they wanted, and we responded. As a result, our patient satisfaction scores actually increased through the pandemic period, as high as 95 percent.

AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy continues to be named a distribution partner for limited distribution drugs. What do manufacturers look for in a specialty pharmacy?

Manufacturers want to know patients are going to get what they need in terms of support and be successful on therapy quickly. We take pride in our ability to help patients through the initial process, taking care of the prior authorization , putting them in touch with financial assistance so they can afford the medication. Then, it’s a matter of really helping patients clinically through the first few weeks on therapy. This is critical in helping patients get off to a good start.

Specialty medications are notoriously expensive but also high touch. How does AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy help patients who may have trouble affording their medications?

AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy is committed to making sure patients have affordable access to their medications.There are still some therapies with very high copays that can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. We work with the manufacturers and foundations to make sure patients are receiving the support they need to be able to get those medications. In fact, in the last year, we connected patients with over $255 million* in financial assistance.This is something we take seriously, we’re very proud of and it is a big part of what we do.

* January 2019-December 2019 combined across all disease states for AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy data.

What do you see for the future of specialty pharmacy?

Specialty pharmacy is a dynamic and rapidly evolving space. One of the more exciting evolutions we’re seeing right now is in the gene and cell therapy space. We’re seeing single treatment cures for diseases, which is something we didn’t even think about a few years ago. The opportunity to have patients with a life-limiting or -threatening disease receive a therapy and be cured is a wonderful advancement. It’s an exciting piece but it’s also really going to require an evolution of the specialty pharmacy business model. We are excited about moving towards this now.