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In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, the Harrison College of Pharmacy (HCOP) is having a national impact by guiding the selection of cost-effective medications for patient care through its partnership with the Drug Effectiveness Review Project (DERP), an initiative aimed at improving drug policy and patient outcomes across the United States.
A self-governed collaboration based out of Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), DERP brings together state Medicaid and public pharmacy programs to commission high-quality, evidence-based research that informs complex drug coverage decisions.
Wesley Lindsey, Pharm.D., associate clinical professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, has worked as the project lead for a $1.8 million, ten-year contract with DERP that began in 2017. He wears many hats, serving as the main point person, writer and article screener. Lindsey leverages experts in various fields at HCOP for this project, including 22 HCOP faculty members, clinical pharmacists and graduate students.
“By contributing to evidence-based evaluations of high-impact therapies, HCOP is helping state Medicaid agencies across the nation make informed decisions that directly affect patient safety, access and the responsible use of healthcare resources,” said Kimberly Braxton Lloyd, HCOP’s associate dean of Clinical Affairs and Outreach.
Lindsey noted that Adelia Grabowsky, a health sciences librarian at the Auburn University Libraries, has been a critical part of every one of these projects, especially since a research librarian must be involved in every project. Additionally, Lindsey said that Fallon Hartsell, ambulatory care pharmacist at the Auburn University Pharmaceutical Care Center (AUPCC), has been a consistent writer and researcher that he has come to rely on.
Over the past seven years, Lindsey noted that HCOP has contributed 13 topic briefs that distill existing clinical evidence and support the need for comprehensive systematic reviews. In addition, the team has completed 10 full systematic reviews on diverse subjects such as RSV, gene therapies for hemophilia A and B, atopic dermatitis and the use of second-generation antipsychotics in pediatric populations—plus one systematic review that included a meta-analysis.
Lindsey said that the work is part of a structured process that operates on an annual cycle. “The way the consortium works is every year the different states have a process to identify topics of concern that they have, then subsequently work through a collaborative process to identify 10 to 12 of those each year,” said Lindsey. “When they have those topics, ideas or areas of concern identified, they then commission these topic briefs, which summarize what the clinical evidence is and that’s when we’re brought in.”
Lindsey said that his group works up at least two topic briefs every year, typically, one systematic review in the fall and one in the spring then present findings at the DERP spring annual conference.
DERP’s ultimate goal is to improve appropriate patient access, safety and quality of care. By presenting unbiased, clinically sound evidence, HCOP is helping shape drug policy decisions that affect millions of lives.
“To have that kind of scale and that kind of influence and impact is interesting and exciting,” said Lindsey.
