PLANO, TX -- (Marketwire) -- 08/16/10 -- Pharmaceutical Strategies Group (PSG) announced today the release of a whitepaper detailing strategies for employee plan sponsors, health plans, and other organizations to effectively manage utilization and control the costs of specialty drugs. These drugs represent the frontier of today's most advanced pharmaceutical treatments and ongoing research and development. With annual drug trends (yearly rate of cost increases) of 15-20 percent over the last several years -- compared to low, single-digit increases for "traditional" drugs -- specialty pharmacy constitutes the most rapidly growing sector of pharmaceuticals.

Specialty drugs are typically those produced through biotechnology (also known as "biologics" or "biotech"), an advanced process that uses living organisms to create vaccines or treatments that target specific diseases. However, the specialty drug marketplace also encompasses non-biologic drugs, namely those that require special handling, administration, and intensive patient education. Whether biologic or non-biologic, all specialty drugs entail complex treatment regimens and exceptionally high costs. Diseases frequently treated with specialty drugs today include cancer, growth hormone deficiency, bleeding and respiratory disorders, Hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, infertility, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, pulmonary arterial hypertension, pulmonary fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and others.

PSG's whitepaper, "Understanding Specialty Pharmacy Management and Cost Control," is the product of more than a year of in-depth research into the specialty pharmacy marketplace, headed by the firm's Chief Clinical Officer, Dr. Kathryn Canaday. Dr. Canaday says that the goal of the paper "is to provide an understanding of what specialty pharmacy is and what strategies are available to payers to mitigate the double-digit growth of these high-cost drugs." Speaking generally of the challenges plan sponsors face in ensuring effective pharmacy benefit management, PSG's Chief Executive Officer, Dave Borden, added that "PSG remains focused on the needs of our client base in what continues to be a rapidly evolving marketplace. As we seek to advance and protect our client's interests, we are confident that Dr. Canaday's research into the inner workings of the specialty drug segment will yield significant value to plan sponsors as they become increasingly aware of the need for tighter management, control, and effective strategies in this key area of the overall pharmacy benefit."

PSG's whitepaper can be accessed through its website by clicking here.

About Pharmaceutical Strategies Group

PSG is an independent pharmacy benefits consulting firm that assists its clients with designing and implementing customized pharmacy benefit management and supply chain solutions that reduce costs while maximizing the value of pharmaceuticals in their populations. The strategies employed by PSG allow plan sponsors to gain immediate control over their pharmacy benefit expenditures, while positioning their programs to meet future pharmacy benefit challenges.

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