Expert Interviews

In this second part of a video series, Managed Healthcare Executive caught up with CareOregon CEO Eric C. Hunter, who voiced concern about the consequences of rising anti-DEI views and potential federal funding cuts.

In this final interview of a three-part video series, Jeffrey Casberg, M.S., vice president of clinical pharmacy at IPD Analytics, told MHE, in response to our recent annual Pharmacy Survey results, that FDA drug approval delays due to government cuts are happening but not widespread yet. He added that early signs and staffing challenges suggest the situation could worsen over time.

GLP-1s are the main reason why pharmacy expenditures have reached double digits in 2025, a continuing trend from 2024, according to Eric Tichy, Pharm.D., M.B.A., vice chair of pharmacy formulary at the Mayo Clinic Health System.

Jeffrey Casberg, M.S., vice president of clinical pharmacy at IPD Analytics, shared his insights on the results of Managed Healthcare Executive’s annual Pharmacy Survey in this part-two interview of a three-video series. In the interview, he discussed survey respondents’ views on Alzheimer’s disease as a leading driver of rising U.S. drug spending over the next three years. More than 100 healthcare industry experts took part in this year’s survey.

In this first of a three-part video interview series, Jeffrey Casberg, M.S., vice president of clinical pharmacy at IPD Analytics, shared his input on Managed Healthcare Executive’s annual Pharmacy Survey results. In this interview, he gave his thoughts on respondents’ answers regarding new treatments that are most likely to significantly impact payer budgets this year and early next. Over 100 healthcare industry experts participated in this year’s survey.

There are several ways to address HIV in homeless populations, with the most promising being the low barrier care model, according to Julie Dombrowski, M.D., M.P.H., professor of medicine at the University of Washington and director of HIV treatment initiatives at the King County, Seattle public health department.

Homelessness and HIV share common risk factors, according to Julie Dombrowski, M.D., M.P.H., professor of medicine at the University of Washington and director of HIV treatment initiatives at the King County, Seattle public health department.

Finding a cure for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) would mean reducing treatment waste, according to Ashwin N. Ananthakrishnan, M.D., M.P.H., MGH, associate professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Johan Burisch, M.D., Ph.D., a gastroenterologist at Hvidovre Hospital in Denmark.

High costs and the novelty and complexity of new therapies such as gene therapy present social determinants of health and health literacy challenges, says Tiara Green, president of Accessia Health

Cost is a barrier to care for chronic and rare diseases, so financial assistance is way to lower that barrier and help people manage their health condition, says Green, president of Accessia Health

Digital pharmacy solutions can help brick and mortar locations become more efficient, according to Sarah Thomas, VP of sales and commercialization at HealthDyne and David Skomo, COO of HealthDyne.

A panelist discusses how the adoption of C-peptide preservation as a critical end point in clinical trials represents a paradigm shift in type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, moving beyond glucose control alone to focus on disease-modifying therapies that can maintain endogenous insulin production and potentially alter the fundamental course of the disease.

A growing and more diverse pipeline means that there is a greater need for digital innovations, which can address affordability, access and industry collaboration, according to Sarah Thomas, VP of sales and commercialization at HealthDyne and David Skomo, COO of HealthDyne.

Becky Davis of Charles River Associates predicts that an influx of new and oral GLP-1 drugs, along with pricing pressures from policy and competition, will reshape the weight loss drug market in the next two years.

At the 2024 Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit, Becky Davis, principal at Charles River Associates, discussed how employer-based insurance coverage for GLP-1s remains uneven—and what factors are influencing decisions about access to these weight-loss treatments.

At this year’s Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit in Las Vegas, Managed Healthcare Executive spoke with John Beardsley, senior vice president of corporate business development at CoverMyMeds, and Fauzea Husain, vice president of public policy at McKesson, about what potentially lies ahead for the Inflation Reduction Act under this Trump administration.

At the 2025 Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit in Las Vegas, John Beardsley, senior vice president of corporate business development at CoverMyMeds, and Fauzea Husain, vice president of public policy at McKesson, discussed the future of Medicare drug pricing, including potential changes to the “pill penalty” and efforts to improve transparency in the negotiation process.

Kathi Henson, senior vice president of patient services, nursing and quality at Orsini, spoke with MHE editors at this year’s Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit in Las Vegas about how analytics and AI are shaping the future of specialty pharmacy. She highlighted the unique role data plays in improving patient outcomes, managing rising costs and maintaining high standards of care in an increasingly complex field.

Fran Gregory, PharmD, MBA, VP of emerging therapies at Cardinal Health, talks about the importance of market access strategies in the cell and gene therapy space.

Joe DePinto from McKesson discussed the challenges facing cell and gene therapies, particularly around reimbursement, and highlighted successful strategies to speed up access. He also shared optimism for the future, with many products already achieving blockbuster status and more expected by 2030.

Joe DePinto, MBA, head of cell, gene and advanced therapies at McKesson , met with MHE at the annual Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit in Las Vegas this week to give some insight on where we are with cell and gene therapies, as well as looking at Pfizer's discontinued hemophilia B gene therapy, Beqvez (fidanacogene elaparvovec-dzkt).

A future where healthcare may include augmented reality, robots and drones may be more fact than fiction, says George Van Antwerp, SVP of product innovation and strategic planning at Prime Therapeutics.

As healthcare AI evolves, there will be a greater emphasis on streamlining administrative tasks, drug production and service delivery, according to George Van Antwerp, SVP of product innovation and strategic planning at Prime Therapeutics.

Shawn Griffin, M.D., president and CEO of URAC, shared his insights into best practices for promoting health equity during the annual Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit in Las Vegas today.

At this year’s Asembia conference in Las Vegas, Shawn Griffin, M.D., president and CEO of URAC, spoke about the need for strong leadership and community-based data in specialty pharmacies to identify and address health disparities, which will then improve care for all patients.

The vice president and lead of IQVIA's Market Access Center of Excellence says fewer drugs are hitting the $100 million mark during their first year on the market than in the past.

The vice president and market lead of IQVIA's Market Center of Excellence gives some insight intot the title of his talk today at Asembia meeting.

McElya, senior director, clinical pharmacy at Walgreens, notes that approximately half of the drugs approved by the FDA last year were first-in-class drugs.