Donovan Quill, President and CEO, Optime Care, byline article featured on February 28, 2021:
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented numerous challenges around conducting clinical trials for specialty drug manufacturers. Self-isolation, site closures, travel limitations and interruptions to the supply chain has made it difficult to meet protocol-specified procedures, including administration, adherence and laboratory/diagnostic testing.
This article highlights how a patient-first approach to specialty Rx for orphan and rare disorders has become an optimal approach to addressing these difficulties, offering tools to enable in-home clinical services, direct-to-patient support and remote monitoring for keeping clinical trials on track.
Patient-first strategies can shorten the time from the clinical trial to commercialization, enhancing patient access to the medication and capturing 90% of patients during the transition period within 30 days.
As an integral part of the care team, pharmacists serve as lifelines for patients with rare and orphan disorders by helping to prevent lapses in continuity of care. By partnering with a patient-first organization that integrates specialty Rx services, product distribution and patient management into a dedicated program, pharmacists with specialized training in rare disease management enable patients to receive the intense care, outreach and dependable support they require to ensure positive outcomes.
This layer of support allows patients, their families and caregivers to become more engaged and take ownership in the care process, which leads to a stronger partnership and better patient care.
