This webinar will explore the most common form of heritable rickets, X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH), which is considered a rare disease in the United States. The main physiologic defect in XLH is impaired proximal renal tubular reabsorption of phosphate, which is crucial to healthy growth and development, bone formation, acid-base regulation, and cellular metabolism. Skeletal manifestations in adults and children are debilitating and significantly impact quality of life. Breakthrough therapies have emerged to improve the efficacy and tolerability that current treatments severely lack.

Experts in the field of rare and precision medicine, Dr. Vanscoy and Dr. Eans will provide an overview of the pathophysiology and clinical presentation of XLH, current and emerging treatment options, and managed care implications. This webinar will prove to be not only enlightening, but inspiring for those in, or wishing to learn more about, the challenges and implications of the specialty pharmacy industry.

Pharmacy Times Continuing Education is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. This activity is approved for 1 contact hour (0.10 CEU) under the ACPE universal activity number 0290-0000-18-185-L01-P. The activity is available for CE credit on November 19, 2018.

About PANTHERx Specialty Pharmacy
PANTHERx® Specialty Pharmacy, The Rare Disease Specialty Pharmacy®, is the industry leading, independent national specialty pharmacy headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. PANTHERx® Specialty’s mission is to transform lives by delivering medical breakthroughs, clinical excellence, and access solutions to patients afflicted with rare and devastating conditions. Every day we create ways to Reinvent Specialty, Revolutionize Pharmacy, and Redefine Care®, by developing focused solutions, bold innovations, and novel clinical services associated with the life-transforming therapies that we deliver.

PANTHERx® was awarded 2018 Specialty Pharmacy of the Year by the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy as well as the American Pharmacy Purchasing Alliance. Zitter Health Insights awarded PANTHERx® the Specialty Pharmacy Patient Choice Award winner for both 2017 and 2018. Additionally, PANTHERx® was ranked #49 in the 2018 Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing Companies in the nation (top 100 for the last three years) and a Best Place to Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare magazine for 2018.

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“PANTHERx® is excited about partnering with RxCrossroads by McKesson in the rare disease and precision medicine space. This joint solution provides for more seamless and successful drug launches, increased speed to therapy, and enhanced patient satisfaction and outcomes,” said Dr. Gordon J. Vanscoy, chairman and chief executive officer of PANTHERx® Specialty Pharmacy. “Patients are at the center of everything that we do at PANTHERx®, so collaborating with a respected organization that shares our values is essential to us. We discovered a great match with RxCrossroads by McKesson, and we are confident that collectively, we will have measurable benefits for patients while enhancing the experiences of our biopharma partners.”

“RxCrossroads by McKesson is confident that together with PANTHERx® we will produce a successful logistics solution to assist our life sciences partners in the rare disease and precision medicine space through significant phases of their product life cycle,” said Kevin Kissling, vice president, Third-Party Logistics, RxCrossroads by McKesson. “We are committed to providing innovative solutions for stakeholders, including those focused on rare diseases and precision medicines, which is why we are excited to be working with PANTHERx®.”

With combined core strengths in specialty pharmacy for rare diseases, third-party logistics, access & adherence solutions, and safety monitoring services, the parties are confident that the collaborative offering will be the go-to solution for biopharma companies desiring an all-in-one commercialization approach for cell and gene therapies.

About PANTHERx® Specialty Pharmacy
PANTHERx® Specialty Pharmacy, The Rare Disease Specialty Pharmacy®, is the industry leading independent national specialty pharmacy headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. PANTHERx® Specialty’s mission is to transform lives by delivering medical breakthroughs, clinical excellence, and access solutions to patients afflicted with rare and devastating conditions. Every day we create ways to Reinvent Specialty, Revolutionize Pharmacy, and Redefine Care®, by developing focused solutions, bold innovations, and novel clinical services associated with the life-transforming therapies that we deliver.

PANTHERx® was awarded 2018 Specialty Pharmacy of the Year by the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy as well as the American Pharmacy Purchasing Alliance. Zitter Health Insights awarded PANTHERx® the Specialty Pharmacy Patient Choice Award winner for both 2017 and 2018. Additionally, PANTHERx® was ranked #49 in the 2018 Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing Companies in the nation (top 100 for the last three years) and a Best Place to Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare magazine for 2018.

About RxCrossroads by McKesson
RxCrossroads by McKesson creates flexible, connected solutions for life sciences companies. Its solutions focus on increasing access, adherence, and safe use conditions, seamlessly connecting patients to their therapies, and enabling them to thrive at every step in their care journey. Through expert teams, deep market insights and innovative technology, RxCrossroads designs forward-thinking solutions that optimize the patient experience and positions its customers for success in every phase of the product life cycle. As part of McKesson Life Sciences, a business within McKesson Corporation, RxCrossroads harnesses unparalleled reach and connectivity across the healthcare system to connect the dots between payers, providers, and biopharma, so together, they can deliver better care and outcomes for every patient.

To read the official press release, please click here:

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181102005154/en/PANTHERx®-Specialty-Pharmacy-RxCrossroads-McKesson-Collaborate-Simplify

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“Three years in a row to be recognized as #1 by Pittsburgh Business Times reaffirms our sustained commitment to continued innovation so that we may provide exceptional service and quality of care to our patients, providers, and partners,” said Dr. Gordon J. Vanscoy, Chairman and CEO. “Although the growth isn’t slowing for PANTHERx® , we hope that our newest venture, RareMed Solutions, a rare disease patient services company, will someday vie for this honor.”

About the Pittsburgh Business Times Fast 50 Awards
The Pittsburgh Business Times hosts the 2018 Fast 50 Awards to celebrate the success of companies in the Pittsburgh region with rapid revenue growth between 2015 and 2017. PANTHERx® Leadership attended the award ceremony, held at the Rivers Casino on August 22nd, to receive the award on behalf of PANTHERx®.

Read the PANTHERx Fast 50 announcement from the Pittsburgh Business Times: https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2018/08/22/fast-50-1-pantherx-specialty-pharmacys-team.html

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“PANTHERx® gave me an amazing opportunity to develop as an advanced practice pharmacist and understand the complexities that come with organizing and operating a top tier specialty pharmacy,” said Matthew Misorski, Pharm.D., when asked to reflect on his time as a PANTHERx® Specialty Pharmacy Fellow. “With my new skill set in hand, I have now accepted a new opportunity with PANTHERx® as a Clinical Informatics Lead.”

“The PANTHERx® Specialty Pharmacy Fellowship Program combines academic rigor in a cutting-edge practice setting and offers a unique and structured opportunity to interact with patients afflicted with rare and devastating diseases, healthcare providers, health plans and biotech manufacturers to effectively optimize patient outcomes,” said Dr. Gordon J. Vanscoy, Chairman and CEO at PANTHERx® Specialty Pharmacy.

The completion of PANTHERx®’s first fellowship year ushered in a promising second. Under the new program leadership of Richard Faris, Ph.D., R.Ph., PANTHERx® Specialty Pharmacy, The Rare Disease SP®, will double the number of fellows for the 2018-2019 Fellowship year. The one-year program offers an estimated three years of specialty pharmacy experience, enabling each fellow’s competence in the clinical, research, and business aspects of specialty pharmacy management. PANTHERx®’s Fellowship Program becomes even more rigorous and enriching this year with an increased focus on research, big data, data-driven program design, precision medicine, and scientific publications.

For more information on PANTHERx®’s Specialty Pharmacy Fellowship Program please visit: https://pantherxrare.com/fellowship-opportunities/

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The now debuted Student Association of Specialty Pharmacy (SASP) will work with universities to create more than half a dozen pilot student chapters this fall in order to bolster awareness and knowledge of the growing field of specialty pharmacy through education, professional development, and networking. The University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy and Duquesne University School of Pharmacy have each experienced an increased student interest in specialty pharmacy, due in part to the university relationships that PANTHERx® continues to foster. Under the guidance of Dr. Gebhard, both the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University are planning to launch SASP pilot chapters later this fall. Recognizing a need for specialty pharmacy organizations for students, NASP aims to provide immersive experiences for students and develop these chapters by providing organizational support through bylaws, funding, websites, and local school partnerships.

Dr. Gebhard is passionate about student education and involvement in specialty pharmacy. During the podcast, he highlighted the numerous benefits to students that SASP will offer, including:
• Specialized workshops, educational sessions, and hands-on leadership opportunities to strengthen skills and expand students’ professional networks
• Participation on NASP committees and task forces to help shape national policy, NASP priorities, education, and the Annual Meeting programming
• Exclusive access to the NASP Center for Specialty Pharmacy Education
• Discounted registration to the Annual Meeting and Exposition

Schools of Pharmacy interested in acting as a pilot for SASP membership should submit an application to NASP for review by October 15, 2018. Interested students can access information and application materials through the NASP website via the Student Chapter page or by contacting sasp@naspnet.org.

Learn more: https://naspnet.org/student-chapter/

View NASP Press Release: https://naspnet.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/NASP-Student-Chapters-Press-Release_FINAL.pdf

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Through this partnership, The Health Plan and PANTHERx both desire to preserve and enhance patient dignity and the tenets of managed care, apply cost containment methods and practices, and provide the highest quality of care to members.

“We at The Health Plan look forward to our new partnership with PANTHERx® to improve access and quality of care for our ever-growing patient population,” said J. Neal Ford, Pharm.D., Clinical Pharmacist and head of non-governmental pharmacy operations at The Health Plan.

“We are very excited about the opportunity to partner with The Health Plan and provide the highest quality of care for their members,” said David Stasiowski, Vice President, Business Development & Managed Markets at PANTHERx®.

About The Health Plan

“The Health Plan, established in 1979, is one of the largest locally managed care organizations in Ohio and West Virginia, serving over 200,000 covered lives. As a federally qualified and state certified 501 (c)(4) not-for-profit HMO, our goal is to provide high quality, comprehensive, and cost-effective health care. The Health Plan is an established and financially secure organization and West Virginia’s first and largest HMO.

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Crysvita (burosumab-twza) is the first FDA-approved therapy to treat adults and children ages one year and older with x-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH).  XLH causes low levels of phosphorus in the blood. It leads to impaired bone growth and development in children and adolescents and problems with bone mineralization throughout a patient’s life.  XLH is a serious disease affecting approximately 3,000 children and 12,000 adults in the United States. Most children with XLH experience bowed or bent legs, short stature, bone pain and severe dental pain. Some adults with XLH experience persistent discomfort or complications, such as joint pain, impaired mobility, tooth abscesses and hearing loss.

Services provided by PANTHERx® will ensure product availability, ancillary supplies, nursing coordination, comprehensive patient education, and adherence support.

“Highmark is excited to expand our partnership with PANTHERx® and continue to offer clinical and cost management solutions, and a positive experience for members in need of this new therapy,” said Sarah Marche, PharmD, Vice President, Pharmacy Services.

“We are thrilled to expand our partnership with Highmark by providing this important new therapy for patients living with XLH.” said David Stasiowski, Vice President, Business Development & Managed Markets at PANTHERx®.

About Highmark

Highmark Inc. and its health insurance subsidiaries and affiliates collectively are among the ten largest health insurers in the United States and comprise the fourth-largest Blue Cross and Blue Shield-affiliated organization. Highmark Inc. and affiliates operate health insurance plans in Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia that serve 5 million members and hundreds of thousands of additional members through the BlueCard®program. Its diversified businesses serve group customer and individual needs across the United States through dental insurance, vision care and other related businesses. Highmark Inc. is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. For more information, visit www.highmark.com

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Gene therapy is characterized by the targeting of DNA or RNA as a pharmaceutical agent to treat or cure disease.  The DNA/RNA either encodes a functional gene that replaces an existing mutated gene, or encodes a therapeutic protein rather than a naturally occurring human gene.

Gene therapy was first proposed conceptually as a therapeutic option to treat disease during the 1970s and the first gene therapy clinical trial was conducted in 1990.  Over the past twenty-eight years, more than 2,500 clinical trials have been conducted using numerous gene transfer vectors to assess the efficacy of potential gene therapies.  Today, gene therapy is one of the fastest growing therapeutic areas in biomedical science and has a rich therapeutic pipeline.

Over 600 gene therapies are currently in the pipeline for the treatment of a wide variety of cancers and more than 500 are in development to treat rare disease.  Furthermore, with greater than 4,000 diseases linked to genetic disorders with no existing effective treatment options, gene therapy offers an opportunity to revolutionize treatment paradigms and redefine care for patients suffering from such devastating conditions.  With only a small number of gene therapies approved by the FDA thus far, the current healthcare marketplace has not assessed how to effectively integrate the delivery of these novel medications to patients.

As a nationwide, quadruple-accredited specialty pharmacy that has won back-to-back Zitter Health Insights Patient Choice Awards, PANTHERx^® is uniquely qualified to serve as a partner in the commercialization of novel gene therapies.  PANTHERx^®, with its focus on rare and orphan conditions combined with customized patient programs delivered by specialized RareCare^TM teams, provides tailored solutions to all marketplace stakeholders including patients, providers, payers, and partners.

The successful commercialization of gene therapies requires unique program designs. Customized clinical patient programs, a broad and deep understanding of innovative payer reimbursement models, expert supply chain management, modified pharmacy staffing models, and proficient revenue cycle management are all necessary as parts of a comprehensive program.  As THE Rare Disease SP^®, PANTHERx^® has experience delivering the most complex and innovative therapies ever developed.  In fact, PANTHERx^® has been selected to exclusively handle, distribute, and dispense a growing number of transformational products, each with differing profiles, that are delivered in concert with ultra-high touch patient services.  Critical to the company’s success has been prioritizing the patient’s needs coupled with the ability to effectively collaborate, offer flexible solutions to partners, and maintain the nimbleness necessary to adapt to a rapidly evolving marketplace.

Long term clinical trial data for patients who have received gene therapies is lacking.  As a result, pharmacies, patients, prescribers, and payers are all now challenged to develop reimbursement models that are based on patient outcomes. These treatments will require longitudinal patient monitoring and an ongoing dialogue between all parties long after patients receive treatment.  Recognizing this marketplace need, PANTHERx^® has developed a proprietary patient care management platform (SWFT) and has demonstrated industry excellence in the ability to capture patient outcomes.  The platform’s unparalleled customizability has been used across several disease states and therapeutic categories, and is a perfect solution for the complexities associated with managing a gene therapy.

Due to the cost and complexities associated with gene therapy administration, Centers of Excellence (COE) are the ideal patient care sites for gene therapy administration.  Proficiency coordinating patient site visits and the on-time arrival of the gene therapy at the COE for patients requiring gene transfer are also critical.  PANTHERx^® has an established, proven track record of successfully working with COEs nationwide for patients afflicted with rare and orphan conditions where associated therapies have extremely stringent cold chain shipping requirements.

The transition of gene therapies from the bench to the bedside has now become a reality and modern medicine has only just begun to unlock the potential for these transformative, lifesaving treatments.  In the coming years many more precision medicines currently in clinical trial will be approved by the FDA.  These advanced therapies will bring hope to patients who previously had none.  PANTHERx^®’s mission is to transform lives by delivering medical breakthroughs, clinical excellence, and access solutions to patients afflicted with rare and devastating conditions.  The emergence of gene therapy will play a crucial part towards fulfilling that mission.  PANTHERx^® is excited by the growth of gene therapy and is uniquely qualified to support its evolution into the healthcare marketplace like no other specialty pharmacy.

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“It’s necessary for specialty pharmacies to provide a higher level of treatment for patients so desired outcomes are achieved. PANTHERx^® Specialty Pharmacy shows a dedication to patient education and safety through the recognition of quality it received with URAC’s independent accreditation,” said URAC President and CEO Kylanne Green. “With URAC accreditation, people know that PANTHERx^® Specialty Pharmacy strives to adhere to industry best practices.”

This award is effective from June 1, 2018 to June 1, 2021. PANTHERx^® was first granted this accreditation in 2015.

“We are honored to have our efforts recognized by URAC by being awarded reaccreditation.” states Doug Gebhard, PANTHERx^® VP of Quality and Education.  “Achieving reaccreditation is a testament to the hard work and effort that PANTHERx puts forth every day and helps to ensure that we are providing exceptional care to our patients and excellent service to our partners.”

About the Accreditation Process

The URAC accreditation process demonstrates a commitment to quality services and serves as a framework to improve business processes through benchmarking organizations against nationally recognized standards.

URAC accreditation requires applicants to submit policies, procedures, and other organizational information that is followed by a review. Once an application is received by URAC, a primary reviewer is assigned and coordinates all aspects of the review until a decision on accreditation has been determined.

About URAC

Founded in 1990, URAC is the independent leader in promoting healthcare quality through leadership, accreditation, measurement and innovation. URAC is a nonprofit organization using evidence-based measures and developing standards through inclusive engagement with a range of stakeholders committed to improving the quality of healthcare. Our portfolio of accreditation and certification programs span the healthcare industry, addressing healthcare management, healthcare operations, health plans, pharmacies, telehealth providers, physician practices, and more. URAC accreditation is a symbol of excellence for organizations to showcase their validated commitment to quality and accountability.

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The Specialty Pharmacy Continuum (www.specialtypharmacycontinuum.com) covers news and information relevant to specialty pharmacists, home infusion practitioners, managed care organizations, and other key providers of specialty pharmacy.

PANTHERx^® sees this fellowship as an opportunity to not only develop and nurture new talent for specialty pharmacies, but also as a means to build relationships with talented young pharmacy professionals. In the article, Doug Gebhard, PharmD, MBA, the PANTHERx^® Specialty Pharmacy’s Vice President of Quality and Education discussed the benefit of this program to PANTHERx^® – “The ultimate goal is to create a pipeline of talented individuals who we can develop internally and then recruit into a role within the organization.”

The article also discussed the experience of PANTHERx^®’s first fellow, Matt Misorski, PharmD. You can read about his experience by visiting this link (subscription required).

You can learn more about the fellowship at this link or e-mail fellowship@pantherspecialty.com. Applications have already been closed for the upcoming fellowship term that starts in July, but applicants for future fellowships are already under consideration.

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