Reinventing Necessity
Adesh Vora, PharmD ’00 transforms the mainstream chain pharmacy into a one-stop-shop for complex health care services
Dr. Adesh Vora is a self-professed pioneer.
"I'm doing what I've always wanted to do, but I have to keep reinventing myself," he says. "There's always a risk that pharmacists could disappear. If we don't reinvent ourselves, we will be replaced.
"That drives me."
This need for metamorphosis has inspired Vora, who lives in Toronto, to develop Specialty Rx, which has grown to include 35 pharmacy locations across Canada. Unlike the mainstream retail pharmacy chain, Specialty Rx is a "more boutique"-type pharmacy, he explains, with fewer over-the-counter products and more in the way of clinical offerings like consulting, health screenings, infusion and injection therapies, and a PrEP clinic. In this model, Vora took ownership of services that physicians used to offer patients directly, offering more accessible clinical care into the community via the retail pharmacy setting.
"In 2013, I decided to look at various areas in specialty pharmacy," Vora recalls. "I started collaborating with large hospitals that were looking for ways to streamline services and provide better care for patients."
"And that's how Specialty RX was born."
Specialty Rx's evolution began with offering specialty medication services for chronic illness management, which often left patients navigating a potentially lengthy and complicated process for obtaining medications. Vora incorporated much of this process into the pharmacy, offering patients reimbursement services to help secure authorizations, insurance coverage, and even financial assistance. Once the patient has medication in hand, Specialty Rx's team of nurses and pharmacists work closely with doctors and patients to ensure continued safety and compliance.
"If you asked me ten years ago, I would have said that I was probably perceived as stepping out of my lane," Vora says. "Now, I feel that physicians realize that a lot of these duties can be passed on to pharmacists.
"We can work within our scope of practice to be an asset to the overall care of patients."
Today, Specialty Rx is transforming into its next iteration as SRX Health Solutions, a comprehensive healthcare services company that includes a nursing division with more than 100 nurses and nurse practitioners who perform clinic and home visits, own wholesale drug license, and a clinical trials division.
"A lot of the services I'm telling you about are things that we talked about in pharmacy school," says Vora, "things that we might have been able to do in the future. We're seeing all that come to fruition now."
Beyond his company's success, Vora takes great pride in his charitable foundation, Seva International, whose focus is "to give back to health care initiatives," which include children's and veterinary needs, equipment donations to hospitals and community health care centers, educational scholarships and global refugee relief. Since its inception in 2010, Seva has donated more than $5 million Canadian to its core causes.
"This is something I'm very proud of," he says. "We're fortunate to be able to give back."
Niam Vora, P1 follows his father down the path of health-care innovation Heading link
Niam Vora wants to be a lawyer.
But, this fall, he’ll be starting pharmacy school at UIC.
“My father has shown me that there’s so much more you can do with a PharmD besides retail pharmacy,” Niam explains. “It’s such a maneuverable degree, and there’s a plethora of opportunities that can come from that.”
Growing up in the pharmacy business, Niam’s career path seems natural. But, like his father, he plans to take it a step further.
“I have a big interest in the drug research policy side of health care. After pharmacy school, I’d like to get my law degree and eventually work in health policy, advocating for underprivileged populations.”
As a student in UIC’s Guaranteed Professional Programs Admissions program, Niam anticipates he will likely be younger than many of his classmates.
“I’m excited. With age comes wisdom. I look forward to learning from my classmates and being inspired to do new things.”