Recent Growth Increases Size Of The Specialty Pharmaceutical Market To Approximately $22 Billion

(PRWEB) October 8, 2004 -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com) has announced the addition of Specialty Pharmacies Market Overview to their offering

Specialty pharmaceuticals are generally expensive, injectable therapies used to treat patients with chronic illness. These illness range from common illnesses that affect large patient populations serviced by multiple drugs, such as HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, and cancer to so-called "orphan" diseases serviced by a single therapy, such as growth hormones. Specialty pharmaceutical's annual costs may range from $10,000 to $250,000. Part of the reason these specialty pharmaceuticals cost so much is that they are generally developed to serve a relatively small population of patients, most of whom have progressively severe diseases that they are unable to live normal lives. IMS Health estimates the size of the specialty pharmaceutical market at approximately $22 billion. The specialty pharmacy distribution share of this market is approximately $7 billion.

Seventy-five percent of specialty drug spending is among the following five categories: oncology, HIV/AIDS, renal disease, transplant (anti-rejection) medications and hemophilia. Pharmacy benefit managers are rushing to enter the specialty pharmacy market, as payers are beginning to cover more injectable drugs, biotech drugs, and other high-tech, high-cost products under the pharmacy benefit. Knowledge Source's Specialty Pharmacies Market Overview, 170 pages in length, includes the Industry's Overview and Trends, as well as profiles of over thirty of the major industry participants.

Industry Overview/Trends - pgs. 5-25

Accredo Health - pgs. 27-33

AdvancePCS - pgs. 34-43

AmerisourceBergen -- pgs. 44-48

Anthem Prescription Management -- pgs. 49-51

Biologics -- pgs. 52-53

BioPlus -- pg. 54

Cardinal Health -- pgs. 55-58

Caremark Rx - pgs. 59-68

Chronimed -- pgs. 69-72

CuraScript Pharmacy -- pgs. 73-76

Curative Health Services -- pgs. 77-81

CVS ProCare Specialty Services -- pgs. 82-87

Eckerd Health Services -- pgs. 88-92

Express Scripts - pgs. 93-99

Fishers SPS/Medmark - pgs. 100-101

Galloway Pharmacy -- pg. 102

ivpcare - pgs. 103-105

MaxorPlus - pgs. 106-107

McKesson -- pgs. 108-111

MedImpact Healthcare Systems - pgs. 112-114

Medco Health Solutions - pgs. 115-120

MIM/ScripSolutions- pgs. 121-130

NMHCRX - pgs. 131-133

Option Care - pgs. 134-137

Park Pharmacy - pgs. 138-140

Pharmacy Services Group - pg. 141-142

Prescription Solutions/PacifiCare - pgs. 143-148

Prime Therapeutics - pgs. 149-151

Priority Healthcare - pgs. 152-158

Script Care -- pg. 159

Walgreens Health Initiatives - pgs. 160-166

WellPoint Pharmacy Management -- pgs. 167-171

Sources -- pg. 172

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Laura Wood

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