PANTHERx Rare Pharmacy is proud to have again earned the #1 ranking in the quarterly patient satisfaction survey conducted by MMIT, an independent national survey entity. For the second quarter of 2021, PANTHERx obtained the highest Net Promoter Score (NPS) among all independent specialty pharmacies surveyed. Net Promoter Score (NPS) is compiled by asking patients, on a scale of 0 to 10, how likely they would be to recommend their specialty pharmacy to a friend or family member. With an NPS of 97 (out of 100), PANTHERx scored nearly 50% higher than the industry average.

“Our focus on rare and orphan diseases and our dedication to the people we serve has always driven PANTHERx, propelling us forward and motivating our success. Feedback is critical to our operations and receiving it straight from our patients, as provided by the MMIT Specialty Pharmacy Patient Satisfaction surveys, is invaluable. We strive to create the best possible experience for every person that PANTHERx serves. To know where we are excelling, or where improvements may be needed allows us to quantitatively assess our performance and progress quarter over quarter and year over year. We are proud to have earned such high marks from our patients and embrace the challenge of maintaining, even exceeding, our rank,” said Rob Snyder, President of PANTHERx Rare.

The PANTHERx team is honored to be held in such high regard by our patients. To know we are making a positive impact in the lives of so many is rewarding. Highlights from the recent survey include:

• 100% of patients surveyed indicated that they are satisfied with the amount of time it takes to speak with a live person, putting PANTHERx in the lead in this category when compared to the other 11 participating independent specialty pharmacies
• when patients were asked if they would be unhappy if they were forced to switch to a different specialty pharmacy, 88% responded they would be very unhappy
• 88% of patients reported monthly treatment outreach from PANTHERx, more than double the industry average
• among independent specialty pharmacies, PANTHERx had the highest rate of patients who find the specialty pharmacy’s additional services very valuable

About PANTHERx Rare Pharmacy

PANTHERx, part of Envolve Pharmacy Solutions, is one of the largest and fastest growing rare pharmacies in the United States. PANTHERx transforms lives by delivering medicine breakthroughs, clinical excellence, and access solutions to patients living with rare and devastating conditions. Although the overall incidence of rare diseases is as common as diabetes, less than 7% of the 7,000 known rare and devastating disorders have an approved therapy. Changes in federal policy and advances in science have led to a surge in FDA orphan drug approvals, providing tremendous hope to the rare disease community.

PANTHERx was recently awarded Specialty Pharmacy of the Year by the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP) and earned the inaugural Accredited Distinction in Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs from the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC). PANTHERx is a three-time winner of the prestigious MMIT Patient Choice Award, including the 2020 honor. PANTHERx is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, licensed in all 50 states, and holds accreditations from URAC, NABP, and ACHC.

PANTHERx Rare is excited to announce that it has earned URAC’s Rare Disease Center of Excellence Designation. This distinction, given only to pharmacies that establish the high level of skill required to serve patients with rare diseases, demonstrates the continued commitment from PANTHERx to serve people living with rare and devastating conditions.

PANTHERx maintains high program standards that address patient management, staff education, coordinated patient care, and comprehensive data reporting. This creates numerous benefits for people who receive their medications from PANTHERx, as the company can provide a more customized and high touch approach to care. Instead of the one-size fits all approach, the tailored, individualized programs created by PANTHERx become the standard of care for patients with rare diseases. PANTHERx has distinguished itself in the market as a rare disease pharmacy and provides a high level of care that patients have come to expect.

“PANTHERx is proud to be recognized by URAC for the efforts we have made on behalf of our patients and for the betterment of the rare disease community. As the rare pharmacy industry gains increased recognition, PANTHERx is honored to be at the forefront, pioneering enhanced patient services, refined data collection and reporting, and compassionate patient care,” said Rob Snyder, President of PANTHERx. “This URAC distinction is a public acknowledgement of pharmacy quality to help ensure people living with rare disorders receive the highest quality of care that the industry has to offer.”

About PANTHERx Rare

PANTHERx, part of Envolve Pharmacy Solutions, is one of the largest and fastest growing rare pharmacies in the United States. PANTHERx transforms lives by delivering medicine breakthroughs, clinical excellence, and access solutions to patients living with rare and devastating conditions. Although the overall incidence of rare diseases is as common as diabetes, less than 7% of the 7,000 known rare and devastating disorders have an approved therapy. Changes in federal policy and advances in science have led to a surge in FDA orphan drug approvals, providing tremendous hope to the rare disease community.

PANTHERx was recently awarded Specialty Pharmacy of the Year by the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP) and earned the inaugural Accredited Distinction in Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs from the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC). PANTHERx is a three-time winner of the prestigious MMIT Patient Choice Award, including the 2020 honor. PANTHERx is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, licensed in all 50 states, and holds accreditations from URAC, NABP, and ACHC.

About URAC

Founded in 1990 as a non-profit organization, URAC is the independent leader in promoting health care quality and patient safety through renowned accreditation programs. URAC develops its evidence-based standards in collaboration with a wide array of stakeholders and industry experts. URAC’s portfolio of accreditation and certification programs span the health care industry, addressing pharmacies, health care management and operations, telehealth, health plans, medical practices and more. URAC accreditation is a symbol of excellence for organizations to showcase their validated commitment to quality and accountability. Learn more at https://www.urac.org/

PANTHERx Rare Pharmacy is proud to have again earned the #1 ranking in the quarterly patient satisfaction survey conducted by MMIT, an independent national survey entity. For the first quarter of 2021, PANTHERx obtained the highest Net Promoter Score (NPS) among all independent specialty pharmacies surveyed. Net Promoter Score (NPS) is compiled by asking patients, on a scale of 0 to 10, how likely they would be to recommend their specialty pharmacy to a friend or family member. With an NPS of 96 (out of 100), PANTHERx scored 37 points higher than the industry average.

“The opinions of our patients are of the utmost importance to PANTHERx, as we pride ourselves on providing superior services and white-glove care to our patients. The MMIT Specialty Pharmacy Patient Satisfaction surveys are a means by which we can quantitatively assess our performance and how we are perceived by the people we serve. Our consistently high rankings in this anonymous survey are an immense source of gratification for our company. To know that our patients are satisfied with our efforts brings greater meaning to the everyday job functions of our associates because we know that all of our actions, however small they may seem, are done in service of people living with rare diseases,” said Rob Snyder, President of PANTHERx Rare.

PANTHERx received perfect NPS scores from people living with Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome, Hypophosphatasia, and Infantile Spasms amongst others.

The PANTHERx team is immeasurably honored to have earned such high marks from its patients, validating the company’s laser focus on rare disease and its dedication to providing white-glove patient care:

• PANTHERx ranked best when patients were asked if they would be unhappy if they were forced to switch to a different specialty pharmacy, with 96% saying they would be VERY Unhappy.
• 72% of patients reported monthly treatment outreach from PANTHERx, more than double the industry average.
• 100% of patients surveyed indicated that they are satisfied with the time it takes for PANTHERx to fill and refill their prescriptions.
• 98% of patients surveyed indicated that they are satisfied with the amount of time it takes to speak with a live person when they call PANTHERx with a question.

About PANTHERx Rare Pharmacy

PANTHERx Rare Pharmacy, now part of Centene’s Envolve Pharmacy Solutions, is one of the largest and fastest growing rare pharmacies in the United States. PANTHERx Rare transforms lives by delivering medicine breakthroughs, clinical excellence, and access solutions to patients afflicted with rare and devastating conditions. Although the incidence of rare disease is as common as diabetes, less than 7% of the 7,000 known rare and devastating disorders have an approved therapy. Changes in federal policy and advances in science have led to a surge in FDA orphan drug approvals, providing tremendous hope to the rare disease community.

PANTHERx was recently recognized as a Rare Disease Center of Excellence by URAC. PANTHERx was previously awarded Specialty Pharmacy of the Year by the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP) and earned the inaugural Accredited Distinction in Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs from the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC). PANTHERx is a three-time winner of the prestigious MMIT Patient Choice Award, including the 2020 honor. PANTHERx is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, licensed in all 50 states, and holds accreditations from URAC, NABP, and ACHC.

PANTHERx Rare Pharmacy is proud to have again earned the #1 ranking in the quarterly patient satisfaction survey conducted by MMIT, an independent national survey entity. For the fourth quarter of 2020, PANTHERx obtained the highest Net Promoter Score (NPS) among all pharmacies surveyed. Net Promoter Score (NPS) is compiled by asking patients, on a scale of 0 to 10, how likely they would be to recommend their specialty pharmacy to a friend or family member. With an NPS of 98 (out of 100), PANTHERx scored 42 points higher than the industry average.

“The MMIT Specialty Pharmacy Patient Satisfaction surveys are a way for our patients to actively and anonymously rate PANTHERx’s services and the level of care we provide. Our consistently high rankings are an immense source of pride for our company and an accomplishment celebrated by our associates. To have scored so excellently during 2020, a year fraught with challenges, shows the solid foundation of our company, our processes, our programs, and our people,” said Rob Snyder, President of PANTHERx Rare.

PANTHERx received perfect NPS scores from people living with Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome, Hypophosphatasia, and Infantile Spasms amongst others.

The PANTHERx team is proud to have earned such high marks from its patients, validating the team’s authentic dedication to white-glove rare patient care:

• PANTHERx ranked best when patients were asked if they would be unhappy if they were forced to switch to a different specialty pharmacy, with 96% saying they would be VERY Unhappy.
• 73% of patients reported monthly treatment outreach from PANTHERx, more than double the industry average.
• 100% of patients surveyed indicated that they are satisfied with the time it takes for PANTHERx to fill their prescription.
• 100% of patients surveyed indicated that they are satisfied with the amount of time it takes to speak with a live person when they call PANTHERx with a question.

About PANTHERx Rare Pharmacy
PANTHERx Rare Pharmacy, now part of Centene’s Envolve Pharmacy Solutions, is one of the largest and fastest growing rare pharmacies in the United States. PANTHERx Rare transforms lives by delivering medicine breakthroughs, clinical excellence, and access solutions to patients afflicted with rare and devastating conditions. Although the incidence of rare disease is as common as diabetes, less than 7% of the 7,000 known rare and devastating disorders have an approved therapy. Changes in federal policy and advances in science have led to a surge in FDA orphan drug approvals, providing tremendous hope to the rare disease community.

PANTHERx was recently awarded Specialty Pharmacy of the Year by the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP) and earned the inaugural Accredited Distinction in Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs from the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC). PANTHERx is a three-time winner of the prestigious MMIT Patient Choice Award, including the 2020 honor. PANTHERx is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, licensed in all 50 states, and holds accreditations from URAC, NABP, and ACHC.

PANTHERx Rare Pharmacy earns a spot on exclusive list as a Top 10 Specialty Pharmacy of 2019 as reported by Adam Fein, Ph.D., CEO of Drug Channels Institute. The list, based on specialty drug dispensing revenues, includes PBM-owned, hospital-owned, and independent specialty pharmacies.

“As the largest independent specialty pharmacy, PANTHERx Rare is proud to have secured a place on Drug Channels’ Top Specialty Pharmacies list,” said Dr. Gordon J. Vanscoy, Chairman and CEO of PANTHERx. “The PANTHERx team has earned the #1 position as fastest growing specialty pharmacy on the list. We remain steadfast to growing in a strategic, controlled, and organic manner that allows us to serve more patients afflicted with rare disorders without compromising our reputation for award winning patient satisfaction. By Defining Rare Pharmacy™, PANTHERx continues to exceed the expectations of our biopharma partners, simplify processes for providers, bring value to payors and provide people living with rare diseases unsurpassed care and personalized support services.”

Read the article on Drug Channels.

This year, the highly respected Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy (JMCP) celebrates its 25th anniversary. To mark this milestone, they are publishing a series of landmark articles documenting the changes to the specialty pharmacy industry since the journal began publishing in 1995. This month the featured pairing highlights the state, growth, and challenges of the specialty pharmacy industry through the eyes of a father and son team.

Dr. Gordon J. Vanscoy, Chairman & CEO of PANTHERx Rare Pharmacy, as well RareMed Solutions, contributed the first peer-reviewed article some twenty years ago, describing the emergence, challenges, and forecasted the potential of a new area specialty pharmacy, which was in its infancy. Since that publication in 2000, Dr. Vanscoy contributed to the realization of his predictions and has aided in reinventing specialty, revolutionizing pharmacy, and redefining care with a portfolio of successful biotech/healthcare companies, numerous publications, and significant industry influence. This past year Dr. Vanscoy led PANTHERx Rare into a new realm of specialty pharmacy; rare pharmacy, a step for the industry that was unimagined 20 years ago.

The pharmacy industry has undoubtedly felt the influence of Dr. Vanscoy and PANTHERx Rare as he and the company have raised the bar for quality patient care and advocated for educating the next generation of pharmacy leaders, among them Dr. Vanscoy’s son Gannon, RareMed Solution’s Director of Specialty Markets and a 2019 Pittsburgh Business Times 30 Under 30 Honoree.

In his accompanying article for JMCP, Gannon Vanscoy nods to the title of his father’s publication titling his The Reemergence of Specialty Pharmacy. His case for reemergence is centered around the growth and maturation of the specialty pharmacy industry as well as legislative changes, medical advancements, and a progressive approach by the FDA that has led to the increase in the number of specialty and orphan drugs available for people who have been suffering from unique diseases and desperate for answers and treatment options.

The perspectives of father and son are important as we measure our progress as an industry over the last 20 years while rearticulating our commitment to progress in faster strides than previously imagined. Everyday there are more targeted drugs to approve, more diseases to genetically research, and most importantly more people and more families to care for with highly advanced medicines and coordinated services.

For the Vanscoys’ the specialty pharmacy industry and the rare pharmacy subspecialty have always been uniquely challenging and a profoundly rewarding, but now as a “family business” it has taken on even greater personal significance. “In my life my family, followed by my career, have always held top ranks. To share passions with your children is gratifying, but when those collective passions help other families the feeling is extraordinary. I am proud of the advancements that specialty pharmacy has seen since the JMCP publication 20 years ago and I am energized for the impact that my family (both sons and daughter-in-law) and our companies will continue to have on this health industry in the years and decades to come.”

Read Dr. Gordon Vanscoy’s and Gannon Vanscoy’s publications in Volume 26, Issue 3 of The Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy.

Read more about Dr. Gordon J. Vanscoy.

Read more about Gannon Vanscoy.

PANTHERx Rare Pharmacy is proud to have again earned the #1 ranking in the quarterly patient satisfaction survey conducted by Zitter Health Insights, an independent national survey entity. For the fourth quarter of 2019, PANTHERx obtained the highest Net Promoter Score (NPS) among all independent specialty pharmacies surveyed. Net Promoter Score (NPS) is compiled by asking patients, on a scale of 0 to 10, how likely they would be to recommend their specialty pharmacy to a friend or family member. With an NPS of 91 (out of 100) PANTHERx scored 37 points higher than the fourth-quarter 2019 industry average of 54 points.

“Our rare focus sets PANTHERx apart in the specialty pharmacy space. While we continue to grow, we maintain the mindset that if we can serve more patients than we served yesterday, while having every patient feel they have our undivided attention, then we are fulfilling our mission. The Zitter Health Insights surveys reflects that every member of our team is wholly invested in the quality care, health, happiness, and satisfaction of our patients,” said Dr. Gordon J. Vanscoy, Chairman & CEO of PANTHERx.

PANTHERx received perfect NPS scores from patients living with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) and pulmonology, amongst others.

The PANTHERx team is proud to have earned such high marks from its patients, validating the team’s authentic dedication to white-glove rare patient care:

• PANTHERx ranked best when patients were asked if they would be unhappy if they were forced to switch to a different specialty pharmacy, with 94% saying they would be VERY Unhappy.
• 81% of patients reported monthly treatment outreach from PANTHERx, compared to 33% for the industry overall.
• 96% of patients surveyed indicated that they are satisfied with the existing telephone hold times at PANTHERx.

About PANTHERx Rare Pharmacy

PANTHERx RARE Pharmacy, the nation’s largest independent specialty pharmacy and only health entity with an accredited distinction (ACHC) in rare pharmacy, is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. PANTHERx Rare’s mission is to transform lives by delivering medical breakthroughs, clinical excellence, and access solutions to patients afflicted with rare and devastating conditions. Every day we Define RxARE®, by developing focused solutions, bold innovations, and novel clinical services associated with the life-transforming therapies that we deliver. PANTHERx was awarded the 2018 Specialty Pharmacy of the Year by the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy. Zitter Health Insights awarded PANTHERx the Specialty Pharmacy Patient Choice Award for two consecutive years. As a quadruple-accredited pharmacy, PANTHERx holds accreditations from URAC, VIPPS, ACHC, and CPPA.

The end of the decade brought with it an exciting and critical trend for people living with rare diseases. Over the last eight years, the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) approved more than twice as many orphan drugs as in the previous eight years (see graph below).

It is often the case that people living with rare diseases face a long and difficult journey to diagnosis. During this time patients are going from doctor to doctor in search of answers, treatments, and hope that they are on the path the health. Too often patients go undiagnosed or, perhaps worse, are diagnosed and sadly informed that there is no treatment for their particular rare condition.

The number of annual orphan drug approvals are trending in favor of the rare disease community, but not as quickly as is necessary for the people suffering daily from the implications of their conditions. Every orphan drug approval is certainly a scientific advancement and the epitome of hope for patients and their families who have waited years, maybe decades for a viable treatment option. Unfortunately, the majority of people living with rare diseases (roughly 95%) are still waiting for the creation and approval of drugs to treat their conditions. While every new drug launch inspires hope in the rare disease community, each approval is also a reminder of the many treatments yet to be discovered and many people who are not yet able to rely on tailored medications for their complex health needs.

PANTHERx is proud of our contributions to the strides made in rare pharmacy over the last decade and we are committed to greater advancements in the decade ahead. We continue to support our rare disease community and work fervently with our industry leading partners to offer more breakthrough therapies, more care programs, and more hope to patients and their families who deserve the best level of care and quality of life that our world’s ever advancing medicines can provide.

New Drug Therapy Approvals 2019

FY 2019 Report from CBER’s Director