2014 AMCP Foundation Symposium

AMCP Foundation Symposium: "Specialty Pharmacy and Patient Care: Are We at a Tipping Point?" 

This symposium was conducted on October 6, prior to AMCP Nexus 2014 in Boston, MA. Key issues included a focus on the specialty drug conundrum: why is something so great so expensive? Under pressure to improve outcomes, but also control costs, many payers are employing cost containment tools - such as high copays - that some say have gone too far. Others, including providers and patients, are beginning to question the ROI. Has this focus denied some patients access to "wonder" drugs? Speakers addressed these important questions - from a variety of perspectives, including public policy, the marketplace, ethics and patient care.

The AMCP Foundation would like to thank the following sponsors which provided unrestricted grants to support of the symposium - Amgen, Biogen Idec, the National Pharmaceutical Council, and Pfizer Inc.

Each of the presentations are viewable by clicking on the presentation title below.

▶ Stepping Back to Look at Specialty Drugs
A report of a presentation by Robert DuBois, MD, PhD; Chief Science Officer, National Pharmaceutical Council

▶ The High Cost of Curing Hepatitis C: This is Just the Tip of the Iceberg
A report of a presentation by Matt Salo, PharmD; Executive Director, National Association of Medicaid Directors

▶ Employer and Private Payers: Finding Common Ground in Addressing Specialty Drug Spending
A report of a presentation by John Rother, JD; President and CEO, National Coalition on Health Care

▶ Potential Role for Value-Based Insurance Design in Specialty Pharmaceuticals
A report of a presentation by A. Mark Fendrick, MD; Director, Center of Value-Based Insurance Design, Professor, Division of General Medicine & Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan

▶ Enhancing Value of Specialty Pharmaceuticals: Lessons From a Consumer Advocate
A report of a presentation by N. Lee Rucker, MSPH; Principal and Founder, Enhance Value

▶ How Can We Avoid Reaching the Tipping Point?
A report of a panel discussion with A. Mark Fendrick, MD; Nadir Halim, PhD, MBA, MPH; John Rother, JD; N. Lee Rucker, MSPH