Walgreens launches cell and gene therapies in service expansion

Walgreens It said Thursday it will begin working directly with drugmakers to bring cell and gene therapies to American patients as part of a broader expansion of its specialty pharmacy services.

The company said it is launching a new business unit dedicated to its specialty pharmacy segment, which will include specialty pharmacy subsidiary AllianceRx. The unit will be part of its main U.S. retail pharmacy division. Meanwhile, Shields Health Solutions, a subsidiary that supports the health system's owned specialty pharmacies, will remain under Walgreens' U.S. healthcare division. .

Specialty pharmacies have become a major player in the U.S. healthcare system, especially as chronic diseases become more prevalent.

Specialty pharmacies provide medications that require extreme care in handling, storage and distribution. Treatments are usually for patients with chronic, rare or complex diseases such as cancer, Crohn's disease and HIV. Specialty pharmacies also offer counseling or financial assistance designed to help patients taking these expensive treatments.

Among the company's new investments to “transform” its specialty pharmacy services, it will open a newly licensed facility in Pittsburgh dedicated to cell and gene therapy services. The 18,000-square-foot center will help drug manufacturers and healthcare providers navigate the complex supply chain for those treatments and manage patient needs, among other issues.

Walgreens' decision to launch cell and gene therapy services comes after a surge in U.S. approvals of those drugs in the European Union over the past year. They are unique, high-cost treatments that target the patient's genetic source or cell to cure or significantly alter the course of a disease. Some health experts hope that cell and gene therapies will replace the traditional lifelong treatments that people take to manage chronic diseases.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved seven cell and gene therapies last year, including the first gene therapies to treat sickle cell anemia. That market is expected to grow: The FDA has predicted that it will review and approve between 10 and 20 cell and gene therapies each year by 2025.

Walgreens said its newly launched business unit is the largest independent provider of specialty pharmacy services, with approximately $24 billion in segment revenue. Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy business is not associated with a pharmacy benefit manager, the company noted.

That gives the company “the flexibility to contract dynamically with any payer,” Walgreens chief pharmacy officer Rick Gates said in the statement. “We can partner directly with pharmaceutical manufacturers to facilitate the commercialization of products, including limited distribution medications, and coordinate closely with suppliers to ensure patients experience a smooth start to treatment.”

Under the new unit, patients at AllianceRx and the company's nearly 300 community pharmacies now have access to resources that “will build on the expert care they already receive from their specialty pharmacist,” Walgreens said in the statement. This includes doctors with expertise in key diseases, nutritionists and nurses.

The company said its community specialty pharmacies They are located near medical office buildings and health systems and offer specialty medications “faster than the industry average” along with services such as injection training and side effect management.

Walgreens said it has more than 1,500 specialty pharmacists, 5,000 patient advocacy support team members, and an unspecified number of dedicated specialty pharmacy teams.

The company also offers more than 1,300 specialty medications, including 240 “limited distribution” medications that few specialty pharmacies have access to.