The development of specialty drugs, tailored to patients’ biology, is aiding the growth of Moncton-based specialist group BioScript Pharmacy.
A specialty pharmacy focuses on providing and administering drugs to patients with complex or rare conditions, such as immunological deficiencies and auto-immune diseases.
Speciality drugs are often expensive and complex. They may require special handling and be in short supply. Patients often need help dealing with insurers to obtain coverage.
Pharmacists and Bioscript founders David Ford and Andrew Steeves were recently named regional Entrepreneur of The Year by global accounting firm EY.
"A specialized pharmacy navigates a patient through a very segmented and complex journey,” said Steeves.
“One of our main goals as a company is to ensure that our patients pay as little as possible out of pocket…Paying out of pocket works against their taking the medications as prescribed, which affects their getting better.”
The company’s story began in 2001 when Ford, a third-generation pharmacist, was asked to help drug maker Schering-Plough (the company has since merged) complete a trial of the rheumatoid arthritis drug Remicade.
To do so, he opened an infusion clinic, where drugs are delivered via a needle or catheter, next to his pharmacy in Riverview, New Brunswick.
It was one of the first private infusion clinics in Canada and the arrangement was supposed to be temporary, “but the hospital told us we were doing a good job and to keep the patients,” Ford said.
Ford now operates 78 Coverdale Clinics across Canada, although infusion drugs currently account for less than one-third of the BioScript Pharmacy business as more medications are taken orally or via easy-to-use auto injectors.
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The infusion clinics are funded by manufacturers, and patients are referred to the clinics by patient services programs, or by their physicians.
The Bioscript founders met when Steeves was studying pharmacy at Dalhousie University and did an internship with Ford.
Steeves graduated in 2006 and returned to Riverview in 2008 where he and Ford co-founded BioScript Pharmacy and A&D Wholesale, which ensures drug supply to BioScript, and other pharmacies across Canada.
Their first pharmacy opened in Halifax in 2009. They now have one pharmacy in each province, except for two in Ontario. They plan to move into other regions in Canada in the future.
“We are not a traditional type of pharmacy. We are focused on fewer products so one location can offer the expertise needed for an entire province,” Steeves said.
“Most of our consultations are done by phone. People aren't waiting for a pharmacist at the counter.”
Bioscript is now the second largest specialty pharmacy in Canada, accounting for about 25 per cent of market share. Their competitors include some multinational organizations, which originated in the United States.
“Our model is that we’re an independent, pharmacist-led company,” Steeves said.
The company trains its pharmacists internally. Full training for specialty practice adds another year of training for pharmacists, over and above their formal university schooling.
Atlantic Canada has long been a part of the country where drug coverage is less comprehensive than elsewhere. But fewer uninsured and under-insured Atlantic Canadians are being devastated by out-of-pocket drug costs, Steeves said.
“Nova Scotia was one of the first provinces to introduce catastrophic Pharmacare. New Brunswick has a new catastrophic drug program, and Prince Edward Island has updated its catastrophic drug program,” he said.
The Bioscript founders think they began their company at the right time. Many drugs under development are specialty medications, some even tailored to patients’ genetic makeup. This development augurs well for specialty pharmacies, Steeves said.
