WSU Applebaum Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy team makes Pharmacy & Therapeutics Competition finals

It has only been a year since the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) has been an official registered student organization at Wayne State, but the group has already been making big moves. After a successful slew of online seminars and discussion panels this past semester geared toward educating student pharmacists about managed care, AMCP has another accolade to add to its growing list of accomplishments.

P&T finalists Fadi Manuel, Rachel Christensen, Shivan Patel and Hussein Safaoui
P&T finalists Fadi Manuel, Rachel Christensen, Shivan Patel and Hussein Safaoui

At the beginning of the year, Wayne State’s AMCP chapter decided to join the 21st Annual National Student Pharmacist Pharmacy & Therapeutics (P&T) Competition. This was the first time Team WSU participated and preparation for the competition was no easy task, including familiarizing themselves with the competition mechanics, forming a team of the organization’s brightest members and securing pharmacist advisors to guide the team.

The competition is designed to provide an immersive experience in the skills necessary for effective formulary review and management. The study drug for the 2021 P&T Competition is DAYVIGO (lemborexant) CIV tablets. DAYVIGO is an orexin receptor antagonist indicated for the treatment of adult patients with insomnia characterized by difficulties with sleep onset and/or sleep maintenance.

Wayne State’s AMCP team members are P3s Fadi Manuel, Rachel Christensen and Hussein Safaoui, and P4 Shivan Patel. The team worked together and prepared for a mock P&T Competition meeting by creating a case study on DAYVIGO. The study included a written evaluation of the competition drug (“drug monograph”), which included recommendations for formulary placement.

AMCP faculty advisor Dr. Kyle Burghardt with WSU P&T Competition advisors Dr. Vic Nguyen, Dr. Stacey Repotski and Dr. Zack Mueller
AMCP faculty advisor Dr. Kyle Burghardt with WSU P&T Competition advisors Dr. Vic Nguyen, Dr. Stacey Repotski and Dr. Zack Mueller

“Participating in the P&T Competition is an honor in it itself, but being national finalist is wonderful in allowing our young chapter to develop and create awareness around managed care,” said Fadi Manuel, AMCP President and P&T team coordinator. “My teammates and our advisors did a magnificent job working together and being flexible with their schedules during these tough times. We are proud to represent Wayne State University and we want to empower our pharmacy students to explore different opportunities in pharmacy and see if that is something that they enjoy!”

“I am so proud of Fadi, Rachel, Hussein and Shivan! Competing in the AMCP P&T Competition is a huge undertaking,” said Dr. Stacey Repotski, one of the WSU Applebaum team advisors. “It is a very challenging and rewarding experience for all students who participate. It is also very rare for a chapter to make it to the finals in the first year of competing. Congratulations to WSU on this outstanding accomplishment!”

Fifty-one teams from across the nation joined this year’s P&T Competition. Having made it to the finals, the WSU Applebaum AMCP team will be competing against eight other finalists for the top prize.

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