Walgreens Launches Gene and Cell Services as Part of Newly Integrated Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy Business
April 24 2024 - 11:55PM
Business Wire
- Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy combines existing
specialty assets, fully integrates AllianceRx and represents the
company’s latest step to leverage its neighborhood pharmacies into
fast-growing areas of healthcare
- Investments include new Gene & Cell
Services Pharmacy and Innovation Center
Walgreens is expanding its specialty pharmacy services and
investing in its capabilities as the company further grows its core
pharmacy business to improve patient outcomes and provide greater
value to payers and partners. The company today introduced
Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy, a holistic offering that expands
access to care for patients with complex, chronic conditions and
enables partnerships that drive profitability for Walgreens’
pharmacy business. The company is also making investments that will
transform its specialty pharmacy offerings, including gene and cell
therapy services.
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Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy has more
than 1,500 specialty-trained pharmacists, 5,000 patient advocacy
support team members and ten dedicated Specialty360 teams that
support all specialty conditions and therapies. (Photo: Business
Wire)
Under the new business, Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy has an
unmatched offering and is the only specialty pharmacy in the market
with the following services and assets at scale:
- Gene and Cell Services Pharmacy and Innovation Center
– a dedicated 18,000-square-foot center in Pittsburgh, PA,
with services and capabilities for these emerging therapies,
including innovative solutions for managing the complexity of the
supply chain, logistics and financing as well as clinical and
social needs management to ensure success for patients and
partners.
- Four central specialty pharmacies – each holding
several national pharmacy accreditations – where pharmacists and
care teams across the country work together to dispense highly
complex medications and help patients manage chronic or rare
diseases and conditions. These pharmacies hold distinctions in
oncology and rare/orphan conditions and offer patients and
caregivers clinical services that drive engagement, adherence and
outcomes.
- Nearly 300 community-based specialty pharmacies across the
nation – more than any other pharmacy. These specialty
pharmacies are strategically located near medical office buildings
and health systems, closely aligning care provision with local
physicians, offering patients access to specialty medications
faster than the industry average, as well as services like
injection training, medication side-effect management and financial
assistance coordination for medications.
- More than 1,500 specialty-trained pharmacists, 5,000
patient advocacy support team members and dedicated Specialty360
teams that support all specialty condition and therapies.
- A growing roster of 240 limited distribution drugs,
including 40 narrow networks and 12 exclusive limited distribution
drugs.
Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy is focused on breaking through
healthcare system silos, bringing convenient access to hard-to-find
medications and critical adherence support. Building upon the deep,
trusted relationships Walgreens pharmacists have with providers and
communities, the model enables more comprehensive care to
ultimately help payers better manage specialty costs.
Accelerating Walgreens growth in one of the fastest-growing
market segments
Specialty medications today account for more than 50% of
prescription drug spend in the U.S.[1] due to the increasing
prevalence of chronic disease. There is a need for disease
management solutions that are treated by specialty drugs. To
advance solutions, Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy enables patient
access to specialized treatments through a newly formed integrated
care model, driving cost savings and efficiencies in care by
uniting the company’s pharmacy teams and distribution network
across providers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, health plans and
payers.
“With approximately $24 billion in annual enterprise specialty
revenue, Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy is the largest independent
provider that offers the industry's most robust specialty
capabilities not vertically aligned with a pharmacy benefit
manager,” said Rick Gates, chief pharmacy officer, Walgreens. “We
have the flexibility to contract dynamically with any payer. We can
partner directly with pharmaceutical manufacturers to facilitate
products to market, including limited distribution drugs, and
coordinate closely with providers to ensure patients experience a
smooth start to treatment.”
Walgreens is building on its decades of experience serving the
specialty pharmacy needs of commercial, Medicaid, Medicare, and
other government and private payers. The company provides services
or access to nearly all pharmacy benefit managers and major health
plans— as well as alternative payment and service models that help
health plans and PBMs differentiate themselves for their clients
and members.
Delivering an integrated care model to patients who need it
most
Effective August 1, 2024, AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy will
become Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy. Patients of AllianceRx
Walgreens Pharmacy and Walgreens community-based specialty
pharmacies now have access to resources that will build upon the
expert care they already receive from their specialty pharmacist,
including clinicians with key disease state expertise,
nutritionists and care nurses. Specialty patients can also view
their entire prescription profile at Walgreens, including their
retail prescriptions.
“When a patient must confront a life-changing, serious health
challenge and begins therapy for a chronic or complex condition,
our pharmacists are right there to guide and care for them
throughout their healthcare journey —from helping them order and
take their medication to identifying financial assistance
opportunities and working with their doctor and insurance plan to
make sure they’re receiving the most coordinated care,” Gates
said.
In addition, Walgreens has seen consistent growth through its
wholly owned subsidiary Shields Health Solutions, the nation’s
premier health system-owned specialty pharmacy accelerator. Shields
specialty model provides integrated care solutions for local health
systems and specialty pharmacy patients, working with over 1,000
hospitals across 45 states. The Shields business will continue
supporting health systems specialty pharmacies, which complement
Walgreens newly enhanced specialty pharmacy offerings.
The launch of Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy is the company’s
latest initiative aimed at expanding the role its pharmacy teams
play in patients’ lives and bringing their clinical expertise to
help payers, providers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and partners
deliver critical healthcare. It also further supports Walgreens'
efforts to achieve provider status for its pharmacists given their
influence and integral role in healthcare delivery.
[1] IQVIA. Global Use of Medicines 2023.
https://www.iqvia.com/insights/the-iqvia-institute/reports-and-publications/reports/the-global-use-of-medicines-2023
About Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy
Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy holds several national pharmacy
accreditations and services are offered to nearly 300 million
covered lives across the country. At Walgreens, the term
“specialty” covers services and medications for patients with rare,
complex and chronic diseases like cancer, cystic fibrosis and
Crohn’s disease, who often require additional support from their
healthcare providers. Walgreens specialty pharmacists have
additional training to better understand these specialty
medications which have unique storage, temperature, and handling
requirements; are given by infusion, injection or taken orally; and
require close patient monitoring and ongoing clinical support. They
also help patients find affordable access to high-cost medications,
help with adherence barriers and support patients throughout their
treatment.
About Walgreens
Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is included in the United States
segment of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBA), an
integrated healthcare, pharmacy and retail leader serving millions
of customers and patients every day, with a 170-year heritage of
caring for communities. As America’s most loved pharmacy, health
and beauty company, Walgreens purpose is to champion the health and
well-being of every community in America. Operating nearly 9,000
retail locations across America, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands, Walgreens is proud to be a neighborhood health destination
serving approximately 9 million customers each day. Walgreens
pharmacists play a critical role in the U.S. healthcare system by
providing a wide range of pharmacy and healthcare services. To best
meet the needs of customers and patients, Walgreens offers a true
omnichannel experience, with fully integrated physical and digital
platforms supported by the latest technology to deliver
high-quality products and services in local communities
nationwide.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240424326589/en/
Erin Loverher Walgreens Media Relations media@walgreens.com
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