It’s been almost a decade since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first 3D printed prescription medication, levetiracetam (Spritam^®), to treat seizures. As artificial intelligence hits the health care sector, experts look ahead to the latest and greatest advancements that could simplify the pharmacy, and overall health care, journey for payers, providers and members. 

In this episode of the Pharmacy Friends podcast, “Pharmacy in 2050,” George Van Antwerp, Prime Therapeutics (Prime)’s new senior vice president of product innovation, joined Maryam Tabatabai, PharmD, vice president of clinical information, to share how he believes changes in consumerism is one of the leading reasons why the health care industry needs to evolve.

“Pharmacy has been a very talked-about benefit,” said Van Antwerp, who recently published his insights in an article in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. “We always knew it was the most-used benefit. You go to the pharmacy much more than you go to a physician’s office or a clinic or a hospital. But now it’s become something that people talk about. They’re looking for how to save money. They’re interested in peer-to-peer input on how drugs are working.” 

“The important thing here,” Van Antwerp added, “is to take a more holistic view of care.” 

Prime has designed a number of programs designed to help simplify the pharmacy experience. For example, Advocate+™ helps members access financial savings options and navigate prior authorizations to speed time to therapy. The MedsYourWay® program compares drug card discount prices to get the lowest available price on prescription medications. With MedsYourWay, members can save up to 80% on noncovered generics and over-the-counter drugs, up to 96% on covered prescriptions and up to 20% on brand-name drugs. 

“I’m excited to see how my colleagues, not only at Prime but across the health care industry, challenge norms and curate innovative pharmacy solutions,” Tabatabai said.  

Pharmacy Friends is a podcast dedicated to bringing industry experts to the same table to talk about what is happening in pharmacy today, what is coming and, most importantly, what it means to you. Listen to the full episode “Pharmacy in 2050” on PrimeTherapeutics.com/Listen.