Lance Grady Discusses Continued At-Home Administration of Specialty Pharmaceuticals

After the public health emergency is over, there will likely remain incentive to keep some administration of specialty therapies at home, in a less acute setting of care, said Lance Grady, market access practice director, Avalere Health.

Transcript

What services will stay online for patients on specialty drugs in the post-pandemic world?

Well, I think under the commercial benefit, the ability to have a homebound administration is really critical. Do we see that homebound administration always be self-administered meaning by the patient, or will we see, you know, caregiver administration or home administration via IV [intravenous], but coordinated by say a specialty pharmacy? I think there is a real opportunity there for that to stick or remain.

Does that extend over into government books of business where those products are usually physician administered? I think that remains to be seen as to how that will continue to evolve or expand post the PHE [public health emergency]. But certainly, flexibility of choice and the beneficiary having that choice could line up with a plan of interest in more preferred or mandated step therapy of products that are self-administered versus those that are physician administered or those that might be administered in a hospital outpatient setting.

So, I think those incentives start to line up the patient might not want to ambulate, the plan may want to have that patient managed in a less acute setting of care. Does that lead to more self administer? Probably so. Does that lead to more pharmacy-coordinated physician or nurse administered in home? Probably so as well.