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Laura Joszt, Managing Editor at The American Journal of Managed Care. Welcome to This Week in Managed Care from the Managed Markets News Network

It has been a tumultuous year for science and medicine...We asked a whole host of experts — scientists, CEOs, policymakers, and professors — to weigh in on what themes they expect to see emerge in the next 12 months.

- We’re getting closer to a universal flu vaccine
- The CRISPR story is just getting started …
- And so is the focus on China.
- The opioid crisis isn’t slowing down, either.
- Speaking of cannabis (and psychedelics) … it’s only heating up.
- Cancer research will increasingly focus on organoids.
- You’ll get more control of your health data.
- Broadly, though, expect a reckoning in the AI space.
- None of this will keep prices down.
- We’ll get a clearer picture on antibiotic resistance threats.
- Pharmacies may have to change to stay relevant.

Laura Joszt, Managing Editor at The American Journal of Managed Care. Welcome to This Week in Managed Care from the Managed Markets News Network

- Providers and commissioners must nominate a board member responsible for Brexit preparation
- Anxiety about staff or members of the public stockpiling
- National operational response centre being established as staff assigned to Brexit readiness

In terms of medicines supply, the guidance said the government has agreed it will be prioritised, and stockpiling organised centrally will be supplemented by “additional national actions”...Today’s guidance reiterates previous instructions from the health secretary that medicines should not be stockpiled locally...HSJ understands national NHS leaders are seriously concerned some staff or parts of the UK may begin stockpiling particular medicines – or letting patients stockpile them – which could lead to shortages elsewhere. Local NHS chief executives said senior national figures had this week shown “anxiety” and “serious worry” about the potential consequences of Brexit.

Nicole Grassano, PTNN, Pharmacy Week in Review, this weekly video program provides our readers with an in-depth review of the latest news, product approvals, FDA rulings and more.

More and more, specialty drugs carrying eye-popping price tags are winning FDA approvals. While more are certainly on the way—look at Novartis' recent presentation that a gene therapy could be worth millions per patient—analysts at drug pricing website GoodRx have tallied up the most expensive pharmacy-dispensed drugs in the U.S. per month as of November...Some are marketed by small pharma companies such as Vyera Pharmaceuticals, while top biotechs and pharmaceutical companies market others. Some have seen controversy, while others are lesser known. Rare disease meds make up much of the list, while some treatments such as those for hepatitis C treat diseases that affect millions of people...

Pharmacists rank third in Gallup’s 2018 survey of honesty and ethical standards, maintaining their consistently strong showing in the annual measure of diverse professions. Health-related professions swept the top three, with nurses ranking first and medical doctors ranking second – just one percentage point ahead of pharmacists...“We want to thank pharmacists for their trusted work as the face of neighborhood healthcare, which is reflected consistently in Gallup’s survey,” NACDS president and CEO Steve Anderson said...“Just as Americans walk into their pharmacies for access to quality care, policymakers turn to these professionals for advice on pressing issues. These issues include addressing the opioid abuse epidemic, reducing patients’ out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs, and improving access to care through newer pharmacist-provided services.”

Wellman is a professor of pharmacy at Ferris State University College of Pharmacy, where he co-launched a dual PharmD/MBA concurrent program...Wellman believes that today a PharmD/MBA degree is essential in preparing students for leadership positions in a wide variety of industries, including retail chain pharmacy, managed care, hospitals and pharmaceutical firms...“Any of the principles that are part of business apply to being a pharmacist,” Wellman said. “We need to be a financial manager, a human resources manager and an operations manager since there are a lot of legal and regulatory components because we work in complex medication distribution systems.”...Pharmacists also have the responsibility to oversee pharmacy techs, which Wellman said means pharmacists need to understand labor laws and different aspects of managing employees equitably...the new crop of pharmacy students need more than just clinical expertise, thanks to changes in reimbursement models and the expansion by many pharmacy retail chains into health centers and clinics...Pharmacy schools are realizing that the traditional business overviews they provide students is simply not enough, and they are stepping up to the plate offering dual PharmD/MBA programs.

Walgreens has undertaken a partnership to bring Aspen Dental-branded dental offices to two of its locations in Florida. The companies said the collaboration is aimed at helping transform Walgreens’ stores into health destinations that improve healthcare access in convenient settings...The companies held a “floss-cutting” ceremony at a location in Palatka, Fla. On Dec. 13, with the second Aspen Dental at Walgreens location set to open in the second quarter of 2019. The Aspen Dental office will offer free new patient exams and X-rays for patients without insurance and will feature an onsite denture lab to quickly turnaround custom dentures, repairs, relines or adjustments...

Barbara McAneny, president of the American Medical Association, recently described a patient with metastatic prostate cancer who tried to kill himself after he could not get the medication he was prescribed for bone pain because...his insurer...denied coverage...my patient nearly died of an underdose...McAneny was talking about the suffering caused by government pressure to reduce opioid prescriptions, which has led to denials of treatment and arbitrary dose reductions...A Medicare rule that take effect on January 1 will compound that problem...