The National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP) was scheduled to hold its 2021 Annual Meeting & Expo September 27–30, 2021; however, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and out of concern for attendees, their families, their communities, and our front-line healthcare providers ,the conference was unfortunately cancelled. It was a heartbreaking and incredibly difficult decision, but put simply, is it the right thing to do during this unprecedented time.
Our poster and abstract authors had already submitted their clinical research , the abstracts had been peer-reviewed, and acceptances for the 2021 program sent prior to the meeting being canceled. In an effort to reward our authors for their efforts, we found a way to deliver our program online, and accredit the review of our accepted posters for continuing education credit for the first time ever.
Specialty pharmacy’s comprehensive, coordinated, and patient-centric model is integral to patients achieving a successful treatment outcome. Specialty pharmacies connect patients who are severely ill with the medications prescribed for their conditions. However, the provision of the drug itself is simply transactional. The value of a specialty pharmacy is directly related to the patient management and product support services provided and patient interaction necessary to maximize the patient’s chances of achieving a successful outcome.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries worldwide were under lockdown and began shifting the administration of healthcare to telehealth and other limited or no-contact methods. Specialty pharmacies were perfectly positioned to respond to the challenges and opportunities created by the COVID-19 pandemic, able to support the shelter-in-place requirements, and effectively manage patients remotely due to their established business model, technological infrastructure, patient management, and fulfillment capabilities. Many of this year’s abstracts and posters focus on accomplishments, outcomes, and lessons learned as a result of COVID-19. As we continue to learn more about this novel coronavirus and new formulations of specialty drugs are explored as potential treatment options, NASP members will continue to play a vital role in the management of our most vulnerable patients.
This year’s abstract and poster presentation program provides an interactive forum to showcase research related to specialty pharmacy products and services. NASP has partnered with the Journal of Drug Assessment (www.tandfonline.com/ijda), an official journal of NASP, to publish the accepted abstracts as a journal supplement, further demonstrating NASP’s commitment to academic literature and the value of complex research. Abstracts are subject to a blinded review by NASP volunteers. This year, 65 abstracts were accepted for presentation, with 47% showcasing research related to outcomes (cost or other), 44% on delivery of specialty pharmacy services, and the final posters focusing on COVID-19 products or services. Research on specialty diagnosis areas (such as oncology, HIV, multiple sclerosis, and others) and operational activities (like call center efficiencies, collaborative care models, and technological solutions) were included in the scope of the most extensive offering in the history of NASP’s Annual Conference & Expo. For the first time, meeting attendees were able to review posters for a continuing education credit (for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and nurses). In addition to a downloadable PDF of this supplement, the NASP website hosts copies of abstracts and posters from prior years. To access, please visit https://naspnet.org/annual-meeting/abstracts-posters-and-presentations.
NASP is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade organization and the only nonprofit national association representing all stakeholders in the specialty pharmacy industry. The mission of NASP is to elevate the practice of specialty pharmacy by developing, delivering, and promoting continuing professional education and specialty certification while advocating for public policies that ensure patients have appropriate access to specialty medications in tandem with critical services.
NASP provides an online Education Center offering more than 80 accredited continuing pharmacy education programs, hosts an annual meeting that offers educational sessions and continuing education credits, actively engages in federal, state, and grassroots advocacy efforts on behalf of its multi-stakeholder membership, and is the only organization that offers a certification program for specialty pharmacists.
NASP members include the nation’s leading specialty pharmacies, pharmaceutical and biotechnology manufacturers, group purchasing organizations, patient advocacy groups, integrated delivery systems and health plans, technology and data management vendors, wholesalers/distributors, and practicing pharmacists, nurses, technicians, and students. With nearly 140 corporate members and 2,000 individual members, NASP is the unified voice of specialty pharmacy in the United States. To learn more, please visit www.NASPnet.org.