Specialty Drugs are a category of pharmaceuticals that are designed to treat complex or chronic conditions. They often require special handling, administration, or monitoring. Unlike traditional medications that are generally taken orally, specialty drugs may be administered through injections or infusions and might necessitate refrigeration or other specific storage conditions.
Specialty drugs are crucial in healthcare because they offer treatments for patients with rare, complex, or life-threatening conditions that otherwise have limited options. They frequently represent groundbreaking advancements in medical science and can significantly improve quality of life and survival rates for patients who depend on them.
These drugs often come at a high cost, reflecting the complexity of their development and the potential for dramatic therapeutic outcomes. From an economic standpoint, while they constitute a smaller volume of prescriptions, they represent a significant portion of pharmaceutical spending, impacting healthcare budgets and policy decisions.