CONSHOHOCKEN, PA — Cencora has launched a service to help health systems build and scale cell and gene therapy programs, targeting operational and financial barriers that can limit hospitals’ ability to deliver a growing class of complex treatments.
The Cell and Gene Therapy Enablement offering is being provided through Cencora’s Accelerate Pharmacy Solutions business. It will support health systems with market assessments, reimbursement planning, program design, governance, workflow development and expansion across therapies and sites of care.
The service comes as more than 35 cell and gene therapies have received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval and more than 1,700 clinical trials are underway globally, according to Cencora. The company cited a recent survey in which only 4% of health system pharmacy leaders said their organizations were fully prepared to integrate the therapies.
Cencora said the offering is structured around three areas: financial planning, operational readiness and scalable program growth.
Financial support will include therapy-specific market assessments, reimbursement dynamics and site-of-care considerations. Operational work will cover readiness assessments, gap analysis, strategic roadmaps, governance and workflow planning.
For health systems seeking to expand existing programs, Cencora plans to help establish repeatable operating models spanning strategy, finance, clinical operations, pharmacy and patient access.
“Cell and gene therapies have the potential to transform care for patients with serious and complex diseases, but delivering them requires coordinated execution across strategy, finance, clinical operations, pharmacy and patient access,” said Ryan Telford, vice president of health system pharmacy portfolio strategy at Accelerate Pharmacy Solutions.
The offering broadens Cencora’s existing cell and gene therapy services, which include commercialization support for drug developers, specialty distribution and provider services.
Louis Cicchini, senior director of scientific affairs and strategic partnerships for Cencora’s cell and gene therapy service line, said broader adoption will depend on health systems expanding their capabilities and coordinating across traditionally separate functions.
“Fulfilling the clinical promise of these therapies is heavily dependent on health systems strategically expanding their capabilities,” Cicchini said.
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