Overcome Barriers to Specialty Medication Adherence

In this interview with Pharmaceutical Executive, Willis Chandler, CEO of CareTria, unpacks the mounting pressures pharmaceutical manufacturers face through a market access and commercialization lens. From tightening margins and looming patent cliffs to the persistent 50% patient abandonment rate in specialty medication, the conversation explores how legacy patient support models—often fragmented across hubs, pharmacies, and payers—struggle to navigate the administrative complexity that delays or derails therapy initiation altogether.

Chandler points to systemic inefficiencies at the core of the issue, including prolonged benefit verification timelines and financial friction at the pharmacy level, both of which contribute to high patient drop-off rates. CareTria’s integrated, automated platform responds to these challenges by unifying provider workflows, reducing administrative burden, and improving adherence outcomes.

The discussion also highlights the strategic value of automation and end-to-end integration in compressing time to therapy from weeks to days, a shift with meaningful implications for both patient outcomes and brand performance. Beyond traditional pathways, Chandler examines emerging access models, including direct-to-patient cash programs and multimodal fulfillment strategies, as viable mechanisms for bypassing payer constraints and expanding access.