Specialty pharmaceuticals are generally expensive, injectable therapies used to treat patients with chronic illnesses. Specialty drugs cost an average of $18,000 per year but may run as high as $350,000. 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. Health plans are looking for ways to determine which benefit area specialty pharmaceuticals should fall under. According to IMS Health, nearly $38 billion was spent on specialty drugs in 2003, growing nearly 27% in the year - nearly twice the 13% growth in total drug spending. Growth projections for specialty pharmacy exceed 20% a year. With the number of biotech drugs in the pipeline exceeding 600, the new drugs will target more diseases and affect more physicians who will be responsible for administering them. As more of these drugs become self-injectables, they are being reimbursed under the pharmacy benefit, creating an issue for insurers, because medications that require physician administration remain in the medical area. Knowledge Source's Specialty Pharmacy Management Market Overview, 145 pages in length, provides the information and analysis you need to gain an understanding of the specialty pharmacy management (also referred to as specialty benefit management) market and the trends which affect it. Knowledge Source estimates that approximately 25% of health plans contract with specialty pharmacies, and that less than 20% of specialty pharmacies are owned by managed care organizations. Knowledge Source's Specialty Pharmacy Management Market Overview provides brief profiles of a number of organizations, including health plans and PBMs that are taking an active role in managing specialty pharmaceuticals. Knowledge Source's Specialty Pharmacy Management Market Overview also provides brief profiles on Concentra Preferred Systems and ICORE Healthcare, two organizations who are leaders in the specialty pharmacy management market. | 
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Healthcare Market Overviews