Pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts inked a deal to give access to Propeller Health‘s inhaler monitoring tools for asthma and COPD to its members. The news, which CNBC reported last night, comes at a time when pharmacy benefit managers are looking to bolster their businesses amid concerns that Amazon plans to move into this sector.
The service will be made available to patients enrolled in Express Scripts’ Pulmonary Care Value Program in early 2018, according to CNBC.
Propeller Health developed sensors that are designed to attach to inhalers to record when patients take their asthma or COPD medication. It’s the kind of data that pharma companies, providers, and payers are keen to have to quantify and improve medication adherence, predict exacerbations and to reduce the frequency of symptoms for these patients.
Express Scripts members who took part in a pilot using Propeller’s products saw an 80 percent reduction in average rescue events per day and a significant improvement in adherence to their asthma controller medication, according to a company news release.
Dr. Glen Stettin Chief Innovation Officer at Express Scripts, told CNBC that the deal with Propeller Health has been in the works for three years and denied it had anything to do with preparing for Amazon’s entry into the pharmacy benefit management space. In the news release, he noted that Propeller’s connected inhalers will help members better manage their conditions.
“Our vision is to help patients with asthma or COPD understand and proactively manage their condition, allowing them to breathe easier day in and day out. Propeller Health’s success in sensor technology empowers patients and enables our pulmonary pharmacists to provide the best care for patients.”
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
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