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Walgreens Adds Six Medications to Oral Oncology Clinical Program
Cycle management program improves patient care, reduces costs and medication waste
DEERFIELD, Ill. May 3, 2012 – Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy is adding six medications to its oral oncology cycle management program, in a significant expansion of the comprehensive treatment and support program it provides to benefit patients, physicians and payers.
The additional medications now available to patients being treated for cancer through Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy’s cycle management program are: Afinitor® and Votrient® (kidney cancer), Sprycel® and Tasigna® (leukemia), Targretin® and Zolinza® (lymphoma). The program previously included three primary cancer drugs: Nexavar® (kidney and liver cancer), Sutent® (gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) and kidney cancer) and Tarceva® (non-small cell lung and pancreatic cancer).
“Taking oral oncology medications as prescribed can be difficult for many patients, and this program has proven to be successful in improving patient outcomes while also lowering costs for patients and payers,” said Michael Nameth, executive vice president of Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy. “Expanding our cycle management program allows us to provide enhanced care and support to more patients as they cope with challenging oral oncology regimens.”
The program, which launched in 2008, features extensive, regular monitoring of patients, as well as a “split-fill” dispensing system in which only half of the first month’s supply of medication is filled initially. This allows Walgreens clinicians to follow up with patients to monitor response to treatment and potential reactions or side-effects, helping to avoid medication waste and costs associated with early therapy discontinuation.
Oral oncology medications often cost individual patients and their insurance providers thousands of dollars per month. The cycle management program saved more than $3 million combined during the first three months of therapy among 1,740 patients, through significant reductions in medication waste and improved adherence to medications, according to a Walgreens analysis.
Oral oncology medications are often wasted because patients struggle to complete a full month of therapy due to side effects or disease progression. In addition to dispensing partial month’s supplies through its “split-fill” model, Walgreens clinicians and the patient’s physician work together mid-cycle to determine whether the therapy should be continued. The regimen then can be adjusted or discontinued without medication waste. Based on the cost of these oral agents, the waste avoidance can save payers between $2,000 and $4,000 per month, per patient. The Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy cycle management program offers patients enhanced access to clinical support between physician office visits via follow-up from clinicians to encourage medication adherence.
Programs such as the cycle management program are increasingly important to patients and physicians due to the growth in the number of oral oncology medications on the market, which has further increased focus on patients to ensure they are taking their medication correctly and reporting problems and side effects, Nameth said. Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy offers support to patients taking oral chemotherapy medications to assist them in taking the medication correctly, help them cope with possible side effects and remind them to refill prescriptions as needed. In addition to the split-fill option, the cycle management program provides additional support for patients taking oral chemotherapy medications that have the highest drop-off rates, meaning patients are more likely to stop taking them due to severe side effects. In the cycle management program, Walgreens clinicians contact patients prior to initiation of the medication, as well as during days 10 and 20 of therapy, and employ an extensive assessment encompassing medication adherence, side effects and other concerns.
About Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy
Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walgreen Co., is a national provider of injectable, infused and biopharmaceutical medications dedicated to serving the needs of patients living with complex, chronic health and medical conditions. Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy provides personalized care and services through dedicated fulfillment centers across the country and electronically linked Walgreens pharmacies, including locations in academic medical centers, community hospitals and physician office buildings. Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy assists patients in obtaining medications, coordinates insurance benefits and provides individualized therapy management and clinical support.
About Walgreens
Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2011 sales of $72 billion. The company operates 7,847 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each day, Walgreens provides nearly 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy
services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Statements in this release that are not historical are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "expect," “likely,” "outlook," “forecast, "would," "could," "should," “can,” “will,” "project," "intend," "plan," "continue," "sustain," "on track," "believe," "seek," "estimate," "anticipate," "may," “possible,” "assume," and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, assumptions and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those described in Item 1A (Risk Factors) of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is incorporated herein by reference, and in other documents that we file or furnish with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated or anticipated by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Except to the extent required by law, Walgreens does not undertake, and expressly disclaims, any duty or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statement after the date of this report, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise.
The additional medications now available to patients being treated for cancer through Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy’s cycle management program are: Afinitor® and Votrient® (kidney cancer), Sprycel® and Tasigna® (leukemia), Targretin® and Zolinza® (lymphoma). The program previously included three primary cancer drugs: Nexavar® (kidney and liver cancer), Sutent® (gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) and kidney cancer) and Tarceva® (non-small cell lung and pancreatic cancer).
“Taking oral oncology medications as prescribed can be difficult for many patients, and this program has proven to be successful in improving patient outcomes while also lowering costs for patients and payers,” said Michael Nameth, executive vice president of Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy. “Expanding our cycle management program allows us to provide enhanced care and support to more patients as they cope with challenging oral oncology regimens.”
The program, which launched in 2008, features extensive, regular monitoring of patients, as well as a “split-fill” dispensing system in which only half of the first month’s supply of medication is filled initially. This allows Walgreens clinicians to follow up with patients to monitor response to treatment and potential reactions or side-effects, helping to avoid medication waste and costs associated with early therapy discontinuation.
Oral oncology medications often cost individual patients and their insurance providers thousands of dollars per month. The cycle management program saved more than $3 million combined during the first three months of therapy among 1,740 patients, through significant reductions in medication waste and improved adherence to medications, according to a Walgreens analysis.
Oral oncology medications are often wasted because patients struggle to complete a full month of therapy due to side effects or disease progression. In addition to dispensing partial month’s supplies through its “split-fill” model, Walgreens clinicians and the patient’s physician work together mid-cycle to determine whether the therapy should be continued. The regimen then can be adjusted or discontinued without medication waste. Based on the cost of these oral agents, the waste avoidance can save payers between $2,000 and $4,000 per month, per patient. The Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy cycle management program offers patients enhanced access to clinical support between physician office visits via follow-up from clinicians to encourage medication adherence.
Programs such as the cycle management program are increasingly important to patients and physicians due to the growth in the number of oral oncology medications on the market, which has further increased focus on patients to ensure they are taking their medication correctly and reporting problems and side effects, Nameth said. Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy offers support to patients taking oral chemotherapy medications to assist them in taking the medication correctly, help them cope with possible side effects and remind them to refill prescriptions as needed. In addition to the split-fill option, the cycle management program provides additional support for patients taking oral chemotherapy medications that have the highest drop-off rates, meaning patients are more likely to stop taking them due to severe side effects. In the cycle management program, Walgreens clinicians contact patients prior to initiation of the medication, as well as during days 10 and 20 of therapy, and employ an extensive assessment encompassing medication adherence, side effects and other concerns.
About Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy
Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walgreen Co., is a national provider of injectable, infused and biopharmaceutical medications dedicated to serving the needs of patients living with complex, chronic health and medical conditions. Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy provides personalized care and services through dedicated fulfillment centers across the country and electronically linked Walgreens pharmacies, including locations in academic medical centers, community hospitals and physician office buildings. Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy assists patients in obtaining medications, coordinates insurance benefits and provides individualized therapy management and clinical support.
About Walgreens
Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2011 sales of $72 billion. The company operates 7,847 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each day, Walgreens provides nearly 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy
services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Statements in this release that are not historical are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "expect," “likely,” "outlook," “forecast, "would," "could," "should," “can,” “will,” "project," "intend," "plan," "continue," "sustain," "on track," "believe," "seek," "estimate," "anticipate," "may," “possible,” "assume," and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, assumptions and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those described in Item 1A (Risk Factors) of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is incorporated herein by reference, and in other documents that we file or furnish with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated or anticipated by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Except to the extent required by law, Walgreens does not undertake, and expressly disclaims, any duty or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statement after the date of this report, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise.