Pharmacists could play a key role in helping reduce drug prices by “optimizing the use of the medications,” the author of a recent opinion piece published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes.
The author, Marilyn Speedie, dean emeritus at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, writes that “adverse events and improper use of medications” weigh heavily on the health costs in the U.S., and that addressing those issues could rein in those costs.
“At the very least, a pharmacist can reduce drug costs by making sure patients are using the least expensive cost-effective alternative therapy and eliminating duplicate therapies,” Speedie writes.
Pharmacists, Speedie writes, “are the most under-utilized” professionals in a health care system wracked by physician shortages.
To read Speedie’s full column on the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s website, click here.
