Drug Repository Programs Address High Costs, Access and Waste Issues for Patients with Cancer
ASCO in Action PodcastShow Notes
In the latest ASCO in Action Podcast, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) CEO Dr. Clifford A. Hudis is joined by Dr. Ray Page, Past Chair of ASCO's Clinical Practice Committee and President of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, to discuss the benefit of drug repository programs solely for oral medications that are maintained within a closed system. These programs can play an important role in helping patients afford their treatment and can reduce the financial toll on the cancer care delivery system, provided that important guardrails are implemented to keep these programs safe. Subscribe to the ASCO in Action podcast through iTunes and Google Play.
Transcript
Disclaimer: The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement.
Dr. Clifford Hudis: Welcome to this ASCO in Action podcast, brought to you by the ASCO Podcast Network, a collection of nine programs covering a range of educational and scientific content, and offering enriching insights into the world of cancer care. You can find all of the shows, including this one, at podcast.asco.org. The ASCO in Action podcast is an ASCO series where we explore the policy and practice issues that impact oncologists, the entire cancer care delivery team, and the individuals we care for-- people with cancer.
My name is Clifford Hudis, and I'm the CEO of ASCO, as well as the host of the ASCO in Action podcast series. For today's podcast, I am really pleased to join once again Dr. Ray Page. Dr. Page is a past chair of the American Society of Clinical Oncology's Clinical Practice Committee, he is the President of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders where he also serves as a medical oncologist and hematologist, and he's a great and good friend of ASCO's.
Earlier this year, ASCO released a position statement on state drug repository programs outlining the society's support for such programs solely for oral medications and provided that they are maintained within a closed system. ASCO's statement also makes recommendations to help ensure that these programs are implemented appropriately with sufficient patient protections in place.
Today, Dr. Page and I will discuss the important role that these programs can play in helping our patients afford their treatment while reducing the financial toll on the cancer care delivery system as a whole. We will discuss the important guardrails that are needed to keep these programs safe. And with that, I want to welcome you, Dr. Page, and thank you for joining me today.
Dr. Ray Page: Thank you very much, Cliff, for having me for this conversation today. And I just want to let you know that I have no disclosures for this conversation.
Dr. Clifford Hudis: Thanks again for joining us today, it's a real pleasure to talk with you once more. And I want to get to today's subject. First and foremost, what are state drug repository programs? How do they work and what's the purpose?
Dr. Ray Page: In its simplest definition, a drug repository program is basically a legal process that allows unused drugs that have been prescribed to patients to be able to be donated and reused rather than thrown away or set aside if it's no longer needed. Its purpose is to offer a practical way to increase access of prescription drugs for patients. And often, this process can offer more timely access to drugs with a negligible financial impact for the patients. And this was a program that has managed at the state level, and it's subject to individual state laws and State Department of Pharmacy rules and procedures.
And these kind of programs are of exceptional importance to cancer patients who ar
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