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Armada Health Care hosted more than 100 specialty pharmacy professionals from across the U.S. representing over 5 billion in SP’s sales, at its 2nd Annual Specialty Pharmacy Summit held in Atlanta, GA. September 25 – 27, 2006. Additionally, 20 leading pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers participated in the three days of interactive discussion under the theme “Specialty Pharmacy – Defining the Future.”
Armada (armadahealthcare.com) is the only GPO focused solely on the specialty pharmacy segment, and it offers services and capabilities designed uniquely for this pharmacy type. Manufacturers are just beginning to recognize and reward the unique services and expertise provided by specialty pharmacies. To date, specialty pharmacies have been generally unrecognized and under-supported, as data in the segment has been disparate. Armada launched its GPO with the premise that specialty pharmacy deserves a unique class-of-trade designation to establish both manufacturer recognition and support in this important delivery channel. In addition, the first ever programs offered to specialty pharmacy are newly available and were presented by Armada to the attending GPO members.
One other challenge faced by specialty pharmacy is that there are too many definitions of what is - and what is not - “Specialty Pharmacy”. A key activity for the group included the drafting of a joint definition of specialty pharmacy by both the specialty pharmacies, wholesalers and manufacturers. Armada plans to aggregate their input and publish a draft document for adoption by the industry.
During the summit, Armada also announced the launch of the Armada Specialty Pharmacy Network – referred to as ASPN. Armada CEO Lawrence Irene, RPh, explained, “The manufacturers and payors that we work with recognize the need to align more closely with specialty pharmacies across the US. However, they find it difficult to coordinate their efforts with the large number of diverse local and regional specialty pharmacies. An umbrella network of specialty pharmacies is exactly what they are looking for with one point of contact and consistency. For payors, a single point of referral and transparent administration will be coupled with local dispensing by a certified ASPN pharmacy. Additionally, Armada’s leading data analysis and reporting technology will be integrated to generate cutting edge reporting for payors that can surpass the level of information currently available. Payor-specific reports will not only detail utilization but will include lab results (such as genotype results, etc.) and compliance rates. ASPN has signed its first agreement effective October 1st with a national payor covering several million lives and is in current negotiations with additional regional and national payors.
For more information on Armada and the ASPN network contact Larry Irene or by calling.
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larry.irene[.]armadahealthcare.com 
