U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Drug Evaluation and Research authors say a key reason for the growth in polypharmacy among older adults is the “aging of the U.S. population and increasingly common chronic conditions [that] have led to growing reliance on the use of prescription medications.” University of Michigan College of Pharmacy researchers found that 30% of patients with heart issues or diabetes reported that they’d like to take less medication. They emphasized, however, that pharmacists and prescribers must offer personalized guidance for deprescribing.

Studying Impact of Pharmacy Closures    
While on the surface food is medicine may seem less relevant to drug chains, in fact, National Association of Chain Drug Stores' Sara Roszak says “food itself is not the only part of a successful food as medicine intervention. Pharmacies without direct access to food still play a really important role in identifying people who could benefit from interventions from food prescriptions and dietitian referrals to baseline health screenings and disease management support.”

Understanding Prescription Drug Trends  
IQVIA's Scott Biggs shared insights on trends affecting the industry, including medication adherence. “When we focus on [Part] D, you’ll notice that in the upper Midwest, there are some higher rates…of adherence, also in the upper Northeast. When you get down to the Deep South, and I’m looking at the number in Louisiana at 70.5%, there are challenges to adherence in those states.” 

Reflecting on 2024: A Year of Progress  

It has been a big year for PQA, and we have made progress on many fronts. Read PQA CEO Micah Cost's new blog, which highlights five major areas of work in 2024.

1. Building the Foundation for Future Measurement of Oral Anticancer Medication Use
2. Advancing the Quality of MTM Services
3. Supporting Pharmacy-Payer Collaborations through PQA Pharmacy Measure Concept Pilots
4. Enhancing Health Equity and Diversity
5. Planning for Our Future

All of these exciting and impactful initiatives and programs are made possible thanks to the engagement, support, and contributions of our members and stakeholders, as well as the hard work and expertise of our team, and the leadership and vision of our Board of Directors.

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