Alex Evans, PharmD, MBA

I am a pharmacist and medical writer currently living in Hiroshima, Japan. I write a wide range of articles targeting pharmacists, other healthcare professionals, and consumers, and am especially interested in health policy, drug pricing, and regulatory systems.

Health Policy

GoodRx •

Charitable Pharmacies: What They Are and How They Help People Access Medications

It’s estimated that around 10% of people in the U.S. don’t have health insurance. Many more are underinsured and are forced to stretch their finances or choose between medications and other basic necessities, such as food or rent. And with rising prescription costs, nearly 40% of people say they struggle to afford their medications.

Charitable pharmacies, which are often nonprofit organizations and provide free medications to low-income and uninsured people, are tackling this problem by helping those who need it most. In fact, according to the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, there are more than 5.8 million visits to charitable pharmacies and clinics every year.

Below, we’ll answer common questions about charitable pharmacies — what they are, the services they provide, and how to find one in your area.
GoodRx •

What is Step Therapy? How to Get Insurance to Pay for Your ‘Non-Preferred’ Medication

Before prescription insurance plans will pay for certain medications, they want to make sure that other, more affordable or appropriate medications don’t work for you first. This may mean that you’ll have to try a different medication before you can get coverage for the one your healthcare provider prescribed. And this process is called step therapy.

Essentially, step therapy is a type of prior authorization — a restriction your insurance company puts in place to determine whether or not they will pay for certain medications. Many argue, however, that step therapy may negatively affect your health and make it harder for you to get the medication you need.
GoodRx •

Understanding the Community Pharmacy Structure in France

Community pharmacies are those that dispense medications to patients who aren’t hospitalized or in nursing facilities. This series explores how community pharmacy practice differs around the world. In doing so, it gives us the opportunity to view our own system in a new light and possibly find opportunities for improvement.

We’ve covered the globe, exploring the practice of pharmacy in countries across continents, from Japan and Australia to Argentina and Finland. In this post, we’ll look at pharmacy practice in France, a country whose healthcare system was named the top in the world by the World Health Organization. Its healthcare system is often discussed in the U.S., especially in debates on healthcare reform.
GoodRx •

International Best Practices: Medication Disposal in Finland

In our pharmacy around the world series, we have explored how community pharmacy differs across the globe, from Canada to Iran to Switzerland. In doing so, we have been able to uncover best practices that might give us an opportunity to improve our own healthcare system.

In an extension of this series, we’re exploring healthcare initiatives from other countries. And in this post, we’ll look at how Finland has successfully managed medication waste and disposal.

To help us better understand Finland’s practices for medication waste, we’ve interviewed Johanna Timonen, PhD, a university researcher and faculty member at the University of Eastern Finland School of Pharmacy.
GoodRx •

A Look at the History of Hazardous Drug Handling

Every year an estimated 8 million healthcare workers are potentially exposed to hazardous drugs, which can increase their risk for acute and chronic conditions like cancer, reproductive and developmental toxicity, hair loss, nausea, and vomiting. Thankfully, today there are robust guidelines and technologies — like closed-system transfer devices and personal protective equipment (PPE) — that can prevent exposure to hazardous drugs. But this represents a long history of efforts to protect healthcare workers and caregivers from hazardous drugs.
GoodRx •

A Global Look at Drug Pricing Models: How to Expand Access and Control Costs

The U.S. has the highest prescription drug costs in the world. In 2020, Americans spent almost $350 billion, or more than $1,000 per person, on prescription drugs. Research conducted by GoodRx also indicates that 40% of Americans struggle to afford their prescriptions.

However, other countries use a number of proven strategies to keep costs down and improve medication access, and these models could be implemented in the U.S.
GoodRx •

4 Types of Healthcare System Designs — and the Pros and Cons of Each

In our healthcare around the world series, we have covered numerous countries across the globe, from Iran to Argentina, Finland, and beyond. In doing so, we have seen many ways pharmacy services are delivered around the world and discovered innovative practices that reduce costs and improve care.

Because of the unique strategies different countries have developed, it can appear that each one has a completely different way of delivering healthcare. However, healthcare systems follow only a few different models, which countries, including the U.S., adapt to meet their citizens’ needs.
GoodRx •

Exploring the Community Pharmacy Structure in Nigeria

Community pharmacies are those that dispense medications to patients who aren’t hospitalized or in nursing facilities. This series explores how community pharmacy practice differs around the world. In doing so, it gives us the opportunity to view our own system in a new light and potentially find opportunities for improvement.

We’ve covered the globe, exploring the practice of pharmacy in countries across continents, from Japan and Australia to Argentina and Finland. However, to date we’ve covered only two African countries: Malawi and Egypt. Here, we’ll expand on that by looking at community pharmacy practice in Nigeria.
GoodRx •

Exploring Community Pharmacy Practice in Canada

Community pharmacies are those that dispense medications to patients who aren’t hospitalized or in nursing facilities. This series explores how community pharmacy practice differs around the world. In doing so, it gives us the opportunity to view our own system in a new light and possibly find opportunities for improvement.

We’ve covered the globe, exploring the practice of pharmacy in countries across continents, from Japan and Australia to Argentina and Finland. Here, we’ll look at community pharmacy practice in our next door neighbor, Canada.
GoodRx •

A Look at Community Pharmacy Practice in Pakistan

Community pharmacies are those that dispense medications to patients who aren’t hospitalized or in nursing facilities. This series explores how community pharmacy practice differs around the world. In doing so, it gives us the opportunity to view our own system in a new light and potentially find opportunities for improvement.

So far, we’ve explored the practice of pharmacy in Japan, Finland, Australia, Switzerland, England, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Malawi, Argentina, and Portugal, and Egypt. In this post, we’ll look at community pharmacy practice in Pakistan.
GoodRx •

A Look at Community Pharmacy Practice in Egypt

Community pharmacies are those that dispense medications to patients who aren’t hospitalized or in nursing facilities. This series explores how community pharmacy practice differs around the world. In doing so, it gives us the opportunity to view our own system in a new light and potentially find opportunities for improvement.

So far, we’ve explored the practice of pharmacy in Japan, Finland, Australia, Switzerland, England, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Malawi, Argentina, and Portugal. In this post, we’ll look at community pharmacy practice in Egypt.
GoodRx •

Prescribing Authority for Pharmacists: Rules and Regulations by State

Pharmacists are a valuable and integral part of the healthcare system. One study found that patients see their pharmacists more often than any other healthcare provider, perhaps because pharmacists tend to be more accessible or because patients need to pick up their medications every 30 or 90 days.

Pharmacists are healthcare providers. They are trained to be the drug experts. But their role has gradually evolved to include more direct patient care activities. However, their ability to prescribe is still limited.
GoodRx •

Exploring the Community Pharmacy Structure in Portugal

Community pharmacies dispense medications to patients who aren’t hospitalized or in nursing facilities. This series explores how community pharmacy practice differs around the world. It gives us the opportunity to view our own system in a new light and potentially find opportunities for improvement.

So far, we’ve explored community pharmacies in Japan, Finland, Australia, Switzerland, England, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Malawi, and Argentina. In this post, we’ll look at community pharmacy practice in Portugal.
GoodRx •

A Look at Community Pharmacy Practice in Argentina

Community pharmacies are those that dispense medications to patients who aren’t hospitalized or in nursing facilities. This series explores how community pharmacy practice differs around the world. In doing so, it allows us to view our own system in a new light and find possible opportunities for improvement.

So far, we’ve explored the practice of pharmacy in Japan, Finland, Australia, Switzerland, England, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Malawi. In this post, we’ll look at our first country in South America: Argentina.

To help us understand community pharmacy practice in Argentina, we interviewed Sonia Uema, a faculty member at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Along with her colleagues, she published a piece describing Argentina’s pharmacy system that you can read here.
GoodRx •

The Debate Over the COVID-19 Test to Treat Program

The Test to Treat initiative was launched in March 2022 in an effort to provide Americans with immediate access to COVID-19 treatments. It allows someone who tests positive for COVID-19 to receive treatment at select pharmacies, long-term care facilities, and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC).

In response, the American Medical Association (AMA) and American Pharmacists Association (APhA) both issued statements taking a stance on the initiative. Here, we’ll look at the details of the Test to Treat program and also the opinions of the AMA and APhA.
GoodRx •

Exploring the Community Pharmacy Structure in Malawi

Community pharmacies are those that dispense medications to patients who aren’t hospitalized or in nursing facilities. This series explores how community pharmacy practice differs around the world. In doing so, it allows us to view our own system in a new light and find possible opportunities for improvement.

So far, we’ve explored the practice of pharmacy in Japan, Finland, Australia, Switzerland, England, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran. In this post, we’ll look at our first country in Africa: Malawi.
GoodRx •

What Drives Health Care Costs in the U.S.?

The U.S. has by far the highest per capita healthcare spending in the world, with no signs of slowing down. In 2020, healthcare spending in the U.S. reached $4.1 trillion, or $12,530 for every person in the country.

Medicare and Medicaid expenditures collectively made up 36% of that cost, or $4,510 per capita. That’s nearly the same as the 2019 per capita spending of the U.K. ($4,582) and Finland ($4,450) both of which insure every resident of the country. Yet Medicare and Medicaid combined only insure about 40% Americans.
GoodRx •

Exploring the Community Pharmacy Structure in Iran

Community pharmacies are those that dispense medications to patients who aren’t hospitalized or in nursing facilities. This series explores how community pharmacy practice differs around the world. In doing so, it gives us the opportunity to view our own system in a new light and potentially find opportunities for improvement.

So far, we’ve explored the practice of pharmacy in Japan, Finland, Australia, Switzerland, England, and the United Arab Emirates. In this post, we’ll look at pharmacy practice in Iran, a health system rarely studied by Americans. Iran’s approach to regulation, pharmacy practice, and education, though, is surprisingly quite similar to that of the U.S.
GoodRx •

How Does Drug Pricing Work in the US?

Despite the U.S. having drug utilization similar to other developed nations, its high drug prices have resulted in the highest prescription drug spending in the world. In fact, a widely cited report from the Rand Corporation found that our prices averaged 256% of those seen in 32 other countries included in the study. For branded medications, that cost difference jumped to 344%.

To the public and also to much of the healthcare community, drug pricing is shrouded in mystery. The complexity of the U.S. system, combined with the fact that major players in the system negotiate contracts behind closed doors, makes unraveling that mystery challenging.
GoodRx •

Community Pharmacy Practice in the United Arab Emirates

Community pharmacies are those that dispense medications to patients who aren’t hospitalized or in nursing facilities. This series explores how community pharmacy practice differs around the world. In doing so, it gives us the opportunity to view our own system in a new light and potentially find opportunities for improvement.

So far, we’ve explored the practice of pharmacy in Japan, Finland, Australia, Switzerland, and England. In this post, we’ll look at our first Middle Eastern country: the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
GoodRx •

Exploring the Structure of England’s Pharmacies

Community pharmacies are those that dispense medications to patients who aren’t hospitalized or in nursing facilities. This series explores how community pharmacy practice differs around the world. In doing so, it gives us the opportunity to view our own system in a new light and potentially find opportunities for improvement. We’ve crossed the globe, covering countries as diverse as Japan, Australia, and Switzerland.
GoodRx.com •

A Look at the Community Pharmacy Structure in Switzerland

Community pharmacies are those that dispense medications to patients who aren’t hospitalized or in nursing facilities. This series explores how community pharmacy practice differs around the world. In doing so, it gives us the opportunity to view our own system in a new light and potentially find opportunities for improvement. So far, we’ve covered Japan, Finland, and Australia. Today, we continue this series by exploring the community pharmacy practice of Switzerland.
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