AbbVie extends Hep C terms
May 4, 2016
ABBVIE Australia has today
announced a program which
will see community pharmacies
provided with extended payment
terms for its new PBS-listed
Hepatitis C therapies.
The new AbbVie Pharmacy
Program has been launched in
response to the widely reported
cash-flow issues impacting
pharmacy in connection with the
medications, due to the high costs
of the drugs.
AbbVie Australia general manager
Kirsten O’Doherty said the scheme
“is the next step in our ongoing
partnership with pharmacy.
“We have listened and responded
with a solution that seeks to
reduce the financial burden on
many pharmacies, while ensuring
patients prescribed Viekira Pak or
Viekira Pak-RBV receive access to
therapy without delay,” she said.
The AbbVie Pharmacy Program
is administered by Sinapse via its
PharmaPrograms platform.
Participating pharmacies, known
as AbbVie Network Pharmacies, will
receive extended payment terms of
up to 120 days, depending on the
wholesaler, with the terms passed
onto the individual pharmacy.
Initially, due to a requirement
to hold stock on shelf as part of
the program, a limited number
of positions in the program
are immediately on offer for
community pharmacies, but AbbVie
says it’s committed to a broader
access scheme as a further phase
of the program starts in Jun.
AbbVie Network Pharmacies
that agree to hold Viekira Pak and
Viekira Pak-RBV stock will be able
to dispense the therapies, receive
PBS reimbursement and pay the
wholesaler while remaining cashflow
positive.
The pharmacies will also have
the option of returning the stock
to the wholesaler if they are not
dispensed within an agreed period.
Guild National President, George
Tambassis, hailed AbbVie, Sinapse
and their wholesaler partners on
the initiative, which will enable
pharmacies to maximise patient
access to the Hepatitis C drugs
as well as provide counselling to
support QUM outcomes.
Prescribers and hepatitis nurses
will be able to find the most
convenient AbbVie Network
Pharmacy via an online locator,
which will also allow prescribers,
nurses and pharmacists to register
patients in the AbbVie Pharmacy
Program and provide the ability
for patients to nominate a specific
pharmacy for initial and repeat
dispensing.
Pharmacies interested in
registering for the program can call
1300 892 566 for more info.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 04 May 16To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 04 May 16
