Asembia 2021 Is Looking to the Future of Specialty Pharmacy

Multiple sessions at the Asembia 2021 Specialty Pharmacy Summit will look to the future of specialty pharmacy during the in-person only meeting. Asembia will take place October 26-29, instead of the usual dates, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The meeting will return to its normal time in 2022 with dates set for May 2-5 in Las Vegas.

The meeting kicks off with a session outlining key trends reshaping specialty drug channels and the outlook for specialty pharmacy in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Adam Fein, PhD, CEO, Drug Channels Institute, and Doug Long, MBA, vice president, industry relations, IQVIA, will present during this session.

Other sessions with an eye on the future are “Specialty Pharmacy Business Outlook & Adapting to the Post-PHE Healthcare Landscape,” “Stay Ahead of Trends and Cost in Medical Pharmacy,” “Specialty Pharmaceuticals in Development: Key Pipeline Opportunities & Analysis,” and “The Future of Specialty Pharmacy.” The last session will be presented by George Van Antwerp, MBA, managing director, Deloitte Consulting, who will evaluate the future market, building on existing trends in cell and gene therapy and the use of technology.

Van Antwerp will also sit on a panel discussing health equity, a topic of conversation at most major meetings. The health equity panel will look at how specialty pharmacy is responding to health equity and what should change to address care plans, clinical algorithms, clinical trials, and patient engagement. Watch a video interview with Van Antwerp to get a preview of his sessions.

In addition to technology being addressed in one of Van Antwerp’s sessions, there is a session on accelerating technology and its scope, as well as another on the role of telehealth and pharmacy. The latter session will be presented by 2 individuals from URAC, an accreditation organization.

Gene therapies will be discussed throughout Asembia in Van Antwerp’s session, as well as 2 separate sessions dedicated to the topic. The first will feature speakers from Orsini Specialty Pharmacy, who will discuss specialty pharmacy considerations for rare diseases and gene therapies. The other will feature various stakeholders who will discuss gene therapy management from the perspective of different stakeholders, the patient journey when a gene therapy is chosen, how stakeholders collaborate to improve patient experience, and addressing the cost of gene therapies.

Finally, a panel with experts from Takeda Oncology, CVS Health, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, and more, will discuss value-based contracting and how it applies to specialty pharmaceuticals. For a preview of this session, watch our video with panelist Steven Peskin, MD, MBA, executive director, director of population health, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

Keep an eye on our Asembia conference page for live coverage from Las Vegas, starting October 27.