• Understanding the IVF journey and the evolving role of pharmacists (3:27)
• Hormones 101: LH, FSH, placental vs. pituitary HCG, and IVF medication evolution
• Progesterone types (13:00), growth hormone use (14:00), and Metformin’s role in PCOS (14:40)
• Ethical reflections: Nadia Suleman and the octuplets (17:15)
• IVF financing, state mandates, and the impact of insurance (18:20, 26:50)
• Retail vs. specialty pharmacies, including Caremark & CVS (21:48)
• Oocyte freezing updates (25:30) and what lifetime IVF allowances mean for patients
• Where to begin: IVF specialists, SART resources, and choosing a provider (29:48–31:30)
• The growing role of pharmacists in reproductive health (37:00)
• Cost-saving access: Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drug initiative (42:00)
• Men’s fertility, spermatogenesis, and the need for pharmacist advocacy (43:00–44:00)
• ASRM, genetic testing, and why pharmacy must be at the IVF table (46:00)
• What Kelly wishes more people knew about IVF (59:15)
• How teams can prevent medication errors, inspired by The Right Kind of Wrong by Amy Edmondson (1:04:00)

This Week in Pharmacy – June 27, 2025 Episode Title: “Going on the Offensive to Protect Public Health” 🎙️ Sponsored by IPC (Independent Pharmacy Cooperative) & SureCost

This week’s episode of This Week in Pharmacy (TWIRx) is a call to arms: pharmacists, patients, and industry leaders are going on the offensive to defend public health from collapsing under the weight of unchecked PBMs, broken reimbursement models, and vanishing access to care.

PART ONE: Claudia Holley (@c_money636) & Joshua R. Pirestani — Fighting Back for Patients TikTok star and unapologetic patient advocate Claudia Holley, known as @c_money636, joins the show alongside Josh Pirestani, founder of Dispense Marketing and publisher of Dispense Times. TogetheRx, we’re tackling the real crisis: corporate profits are steamrolling patients and community pharmacies. With drug access tightening and treatment safety protocols falling by the wayside, the pharmacy industry is being gutted.

We break down the lost opportunity of NADAC — a fair drug pricing model with a standardized $10.49 dispensing fee — Todd Eury just talked with pharmacy owner Erich Cushey of Curtis Pharmaciesin PA, where pharmacy closures are leaving entire towns with no access to medications. This is not fiction. It’s what happens when Congress ignores the backbone of public health.

📉 Reimbursement drops

🏥 Pharmacies close

🧓 Patients suffer

💀 Access dies

PART TWO: Calvin Hunsicker, Founder of SureCost – Smarter Pharmacy Starts Here Tech visionary Calvin Hunsicker dives into SureCost at NoCost, a summer promo offering pharmacies three months of SureCost free. Why? Because it works — slashing cost of goods by 2–5% and saving valuable hours on purchasing. With $8.5B+ in transactions managed annually, Calvin shares how his time as a pharmacy owner led him to build a tech-forward platform now used by over 10,000 pharmacy pros.

PART THREE: Dr. Melissa Smith PharmD, CPH – Precision Medicine Meets Pharmacy Meet Dr. Melissa Smith, host of the upcoming PGx for Pharmacists podcast launching July 2025. A leader in precision medicine, Melissa explains how pharmacists can implement PGx to improve outcomes through genetic-guided medication decisions. Her new show will spotlight PGx integration, patient care, and how pharmacy is evolving to meet the demands of modern medicine.

Don’t miss this packed episode — because protecting public health isn’t a debate, it’s a duty. 👉 Available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music & all major platforms.

🔗 ThisWeekinPharmacy.com #TWIRx #PharmacyPodcast #PBMReform #PublicHealth #SureCost #PGx #PharmacyAdvocacy

• Innovation isn’t just about products—it’s about mindset, agility, and leadership.
• Both branded and generic companies have a role in shaping the future of accessible, high-quality care.
• Strategic foresight and collaboration will define the next era of pharmaceutical growth.