Engaging Pharmacists in Strategies for Navigating Prescription Drug Costs

To the Editor Dr Lalani and colleagues recently published an article, “Strategies to Help Patients Navigate High Prescription Drug Costs,” presenting an algorithm designed to assist clinicians in navigating the complexities of prescription drug affordability. The authors propose several strategies, including the use of co-payment cards, patient assistance programs, pharmacy coupons, direct-to-consumer or international pharmacies, public assistance programs, and real-time prescription benefit tools. While these strategies can certainly improve patient access to expensive medications, the omission of any discussion or acknowledgment of the utility of engaging pharmacists limits the benefit of these approaches.