Pharma needs to refocus on what matters most
March 23rd 2015Three of the most heavily invested players in the pharmaceutical industry are at odds. Pharma manufacturers need to recoup R&D costs and demonstrate accountability to leadership and shareholders, keeping drug prices as high as possible before their patents expire. PBMs are responsible for driving down costs for their plan sponsors, frequently engaging in hard negotiations with manufacturers. Pharmacists are often afterthoughts to the conversation, even though they are arguably the healthcare providers with more ability to influence patient outcomes and maximize the value of high-cost medication therapies than any other member of the care continuum.
Schools, advocacy groups edging pharmacists toward life support
February 25th 2015If the Dean [Ronald P. Jordan] of the Chapman University School of Pharmacy sees no issue with the nationwide explosion of schools of pharmacy, then I suggest that the university personally invest in its graduates by providing pharmacy students with low interest, dischargeable, education loans.