Prime Therapeutics Specialty Pharmacy to add nearly 100 jobs in Orlando

Industry growth in specialty medicines spurs healthcare company to triple its size by 2015

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Dec 01, 2014, 12:50 ET

ST. PAUL, Minn., Dec. 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- One Orlando company has nearly doubled the size of its staff in the last two years. And, it's adding approximately 100 more jobs by the end of 2015. Prime Therapeutics Specialty Pharmacy LLC (Prime Specialty Pharmacy), a wholly owned subsidiary of St. Paul, Minn.-based Prime Therapeutics LLC, is a specialty pharmacy that provides specialty medicines to people throughout the country who are living with complex illnesses. Specialty drugs are often used to treat chronic conditions such as multiple sclerosis, hepatitis C and cancer and can carry extremely high costs.

Prime Specialty Pharmacy opened its doors in August 2012 with a staff of approximately 130 people. A year later it grew to 212 people. Today, just two short years after filling its first prescription, Prime Specialty Pharmacy has doubled in size and expects to employ more than 300 people by the end of March 2015.

"Orlando is an ideal location for Prime's specialty pharmacy," said Duane Barnes, chief operating officer for Prime Therapeutics LLC (Prime). "Since opening, we have far exceeded the commitments we made to the county, city and state. Not only does Orlando offer a great pool of health care talent, but it has a strong workforce at all levels."

Barnes added, "I'm extremely proud of our team's commitment to provide the best experience possible for our members. Our expansion so soon after our 2nd anniversary will help us respond to the double digit specialty trends we are seeing year over year. We certainly look forward to many more successful years in Orlando."

According to its recent trend reports, Prime predicts total spending on specialty drugs will surpass 50 percent of all pharmacy expenditures by 2018, as more people use specialty medications and costs rapidly rise. Prescription volume at Prime Specialty Pharmacy is expected to grow more than 40 percent in 2015, primarily driven by increased member use of specialty medicines, as well as by new business generated by Prime's sales team and collaborations with Prime's Blue plan clients. With this growth, business revenue for the specialty pharmacy is also forecasted to grow more than 50 percent in the coming year.

Recruitment efforts are in full swing. Approximately 50 positions are yet to be filled, including:

Business analysts
Licensed Practical Nurses
Pharmacists
Pharmacy technicians
Specialty inside sales representatives

To accommodate the additional staff members, Prime Specialty Pharmacy recently built out space next to the existing Orlando facility. People interested in joining Prime Therapeutics may visit Prime's website for job descriptions and to apply.

About Prime Therapeutics

Prime Therapeutics LLC (Prime) helps people get the medicine they need to feel better and live well. Prime manages pharmacy benefits for health plans, employers, and government programs including Medicare and Medicaid. The company processes claims and delivers medicine to members, offering clinical services for people with complex medical conditions. Headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., Prime serves more than 25 million people. It is collectively owned by 13 Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans, subsidiaries or affiliates of those plans. Prime has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation.

For more information, visit www.primetherapeutics.com or follow @Prime_PBM on Twitter.