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Kalorama Information

Prescribing Pharmacists: A Decision Maker Emerges

In five years, Kalorama Information believes the role of pharmacists currently and the demands of the US healthcare system, pharmacists will be prescribing in at least six states in five years, creating a trend that will spread to many other states in following years. The state of Florida allows some independing prescribing off an approved list, and many states allow prescription choice from a physicians diagnosis. The cost of copays and the time spent on doctor visits will increase demand for drug decisions to be made at the pharmacist level.

This report, Prescribing Pharmacists, a Decision Maker Emerges details the reasons behind this change and defines the roles of the new decision makers that pharmaceutical companies will have to incorporate into strategy. In the U.S. healthcare market the role of the pharmacist is changing. This report details the tremendous transformation occuring.

As this report details, pharmacists already have a huge impact on drug revenues, and companies that do not develop a marketing strategy involving this important decision maker will lose advantage in the coming years. Pharmacists are moving from their role dispensing medications based on phsyician instructions, to prescribing based on physician diagnosis, to independent prescribing in some limited situations.

• The States Most Likely to allow independent prescription in five years, and what states will follow.
• The amount of drug revenues currently influenced by pharmacists, and forecasts to 2012.
• The therapeutic areas most likely to see pharmacist influence.
• Main drivers of the prescribing pharmacist trend.
• Overview of state of Florida and Federal programs that already allow pharmacist prescription authority.
• Useful background on the populations of pharmacists by area, their training pharmacists, and their role in drug purchases
• Details on drug interactions and pharmacist role in reducing prescription errors
• Extensive statistics on the U.S. health insurance trends that are driving prescribing trends
• Review of cooperative therapy management programs already allowing pharmacists some prescriptive authority and how they operate in 43 states
• Review of international pharmacy programs that allow prescriptive authority

This report is essential reading for anyone seeking to develop a marketing plan that addresses the increasing influence of pharmacists, and to be aware of and ready for their increasing direct control over prescriptions.

Kalorama's methodology involves a thorough search of government and company literature; but true insights come from interviews with company executives, members of state pharmacy boards, pharmacists and physicians. Over 200 of these individuals were interviewed for this report.

Marketing and business development directors in the pharmaceutical industry, as well as financial companies looking at broad trends in healthcare are among those who will benefit from this report.