Conference Connect: Determining the Future of Specialty Pharmacy

Asembia’s AXS25 Summit—held annually at both the Wynn and Encore in Las Vegas, NV—brings together thousands of pharmaceutical industry executives in hopes of continuing the conversation surrounding specialty pharmacy.

Specifically, this includes not only the potential challenges in the space, but also solutions that can impact the industry’s future—one that includes rare disease patients and improving their health outcomes.

When it came to Pharmaceutical Commerce’s coverage, we did our best to highlight these efforts in ways that represent a variety of different perspectives.

The sessions covered included:

• “Specialty Pharmacy Pipeline: A Glimpse at What’s Ahead”
• “Commercialization Considerations for Orphan/Rare, Cell & Gene, and Precision Medicine”
• “US Pharmaceutical Trends, Issues, and What’s Next”
• “Navigating the IRA: What Have We Learned? What is on the Horizon?"
• “Beyond Limits: Rethinking Drug Distribution to Drive Patient-Centered Care”
• “The Cost of Care for Patients: Navigating the Financial Assistance Landscape”
• “Beyond the Headlines: What Pharma Leaders Must Know About Tariffs, Supply Chains, and Policy Changes”

Each respective seminar offered a different form of industry insight. For instance, Doug Long’s “US Pharmaceutical Trends, Issues, and What’s Next” session provided a broader perspective, as it dove into the current landscape of the US pharma industry by detailing market performance; hot topics; drug shortages and pharmacy closings; new product launches; GLP-1s; and a future outlook. However, I was greatly intrigued by the overall message delivered by the thought leaders guiding the “Beyond Limits” discussion, one of unity and transparency.

“I really do think when we've got the patient at the center, we're all working together,” said Desi Kotis, PharmD, FASHP, chief pharmacy executive, UCSF Health. “ … Having all of us together, whether we need a social worker; the pharmacist; the advanced practice professional, the nurse practitioner or the physician assistant; the physician or provider; the pharmacist; the pharmacy technician—we're all doing the same, and we're coordinating so we have one sense of the truth, including our electronic health record, our pharmacy, or our distribution out of the medical clinic, so that it is not fragmented; it's not siloed.”

The editorial team also conducted video interviews with various key opinion leaders, including Long, Blake Powers, Tiara Green, Chip Parkinson, Fran Gregory, and Will Pih.

For the latest in conference coverage, please visit pharmaceuticalcommerce.com/latest-conference.