HOUSTON, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire/ — US Oncology today announced that OncologyRx Care Advantage, a national oral oncology specialty pharmacy, has exceeded the $10 million mark in assisting more than 2,000 patients with drug co-pays since the launch of Care Advantage in August 2006.
“It was important when we designed Care Advantage to be able to increase patient access to oral chemotherapies by easing the financial burdens these therapies impose,” said David Reese, vice president of OncologyRx Care Advantage. “By including a service that seeks assistance from foundations on behalf of the patient, the OncologyRx Care Advantage pharmacy is able to provide financial assistance support to oncology practices in the marketplace. It’s a service that we are proud to extend beyond those affiliated with the US Oncology network to benefit all cancer patients needing specialty pharmaceuticals.”
Since its inception, the oral oncology pharmacy has provided therapy support services to more than 4,000 patients and convenient home delivery of more than 22,000 prescriptions.
“We are delighted we have been able to help so many patients who otherwise would not have been able to afford their co-pay for oral chemotherapies,” said Diane Collom, Associate Director of Business Operations at OncologyRx Care Advantage. Coordinators on the Care Advantage patient assistant support team work closely with the financial counselors at each patient’s practice to seek funding through organizations such as the Chronic Disease Fund and the Patient Access Network Foundation.
Designed specifically for the complexity of cancer care, the OncologyRx Care Advantage pharmacy provides patients with convenient home delivery of oral cancer therapies and the additional support necessary for safe and supervised use of these oral therapy treatments. The program utilizes oncology certified nurses to proactively monitor patient compliance with the prescribed therapy and support adherence by helping patients manage their side effects. In addition to the ongoing support of a team of patient care experts, Care Advantage patients also have 24-hour access to oncology certified pharmacists.
Oral chemotherapies have a significant impact on how cancer care is being delivered. The rate of growth of oral oncology agents is estimated anywhere between 20 and 30 percent year over year with over a third of the 650 oncology agents in the drug pipeline coming in an oral form. Given this rate of increase, oral oncology drugs are expected to comprise between five and seven billion dollars in annual drug spend by 2010. (Pipeline Insight: Cancer Overview DMHC2025 (C) Datamonitor (Published 10/2004))
Last month OncologyRx Care Advantage successfully expanded to a national service offering with license approval for California. The addition brings access to home delivery of oral drugs and critical patient support to cancer patients in all 50 U.S. states and the territory of Puerto Rico.
About US Oncology
US Oncology, headquartered in Houston, works closely with physicians, manufacturers and payers to identify and deliver innovative services that enhance patient access to advanced cancer care. US Oncology supports one of the nation’s foremost cancer treatment and research networks, accelerating the availability and use of evidence-based medicine and shared best practices.
US Oncology’s expertise in supporting every aspect of the cancer care delivery system–from drug development to treatment and outcomes measurement, enables the company to help increase the efficiency and safety of cancer care. According to the company’s last quarterly earnings report, US Oncology is affiliated with 1,220 physicians operating in 480 locations, including 92 radiation oncology facilities in 39 states. For more information, visit the company’s Web site, http://www.usoncology.com/.
US Oncology
CONTACT: Jennifer Horspool of US Oncology, +1-832-601-6151,[email protected]; or Lisa Henderson, +1-813-775-6208,[email protected], for US Oncology
Web Site: http://www.usoncology.com/
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