With thousands of gene and cell therapies in the pipeline, health systems should make sure they are for these drugs, which can cost millions per dose, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
The FDA has approved only a few dozen of these therapies, but nearly 4,500 gene, cell and RNA therapies are in development, according to a Q1 2025 report from the American Society of Gene + Cell Therapy and Citeline.
“We’re trying to get ahead of the issue and develop the knowledge, the educational tools, and the infrastructure to support these therapies before the 11th hour,” Kevin Zinchuk, PharmD, pharmacy manager for investigational drug services at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, told the ASHP.
Denise Scarpelli, PharmD, vice president and chief pharmacy officer of UChicago Medicine, said her health system negotiates single-case agreements with payers for CAR T-cell therapies, which UChicago Medicine has been offering for years.
The system also has monthly meetings for an interdisciplinary committee to review referrals, track outcomes and contemplate new therapies.
“It’s a lot of coordination, a lot of personnel,” Dr. Scarpelli told the ASHP. “But if you don’t have this coordination, it could bankrupt the system.”Read more about health systems’ strategies here.
