Preparing for the Future of Neurological Therapies

A panel of experts discussed preparing for new neurological therapies, including suggestions related to documentation, education, insurance, and more, during a session at the 2025 NeuroNet Pro Annual Summit, sponsored by Alnylam.

Panelist Teri Swepston, vice president of provider sales at McKesson, discussed her team’s medically integrated dispensing (MID) offerings, which include options for end-to-end technician support. Potential practices are evaluated with consideration for differing state laws and individual practice needs. Swepston especially focused on support available from McKesson amidst growing opportunities for self-administered medications.

“Self-administered medications are expected to grow at an 11% rate over the next 5 years, compared to the previous 5 years where they only grew at a 5% rate,” Swepston said. “[We are] on the cusp of opportunity, and your action responding to it now is going to make a difference in how successful you're going to be.”

Christine Mann, chief commercial officer of the Dent Neurologic Institute, introduced several practical takeaways related to preparing for new drug launches, such as the importance of understanding the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA).

“When a manufacturer has a new drug that they want to launch, they go to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for filing. The FDA then has about 10 months to put a date together…and that's the target date that they will hopefully review and approve the drug,” Mann explained. “PDUFA is the date that the manufacturers are expecting their drug to be launched into our practices.”

Mann also highlighted the importance of understanding how new drugs are coded, explaining it can take up to 6 months for newly approved drugs to receive codes. However, certain drugs can be used before being assigned a permanent code. As soon as a drug is approved, the medication guide and package insert should contain all information necessary for staff education and policy development.

Manufacturers may distribute new drugs through specialty distributors, requiring practices to open accounts and establish appropriate credit limits in advance. Opening an account may be a several weeks-long process and payment terms are up for negotiation.

“It can take up to a year for a drug price to stabilize and have a specific average selling price (ASP),” Mann shared. “Understand your contracts on how new drugs will be paid.”

Reference

Mann C, Evans D, Swepston T, Cauthen J. Getting ready for new therapies from A to Z. Presented at: NeuroNet Pro Annual Summit 2025; February 1, 2025; Nashville, TN