Student Team Places in Top Five at AMCP Pharmacy & Therapeutics Competition

USC PharmD students competed in the final round of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy’s (AMCP) 22nd Annual National Student Pharmacist Pharmacy & Therapeutics (P&T) Competition in Chicago.

A team of USC School of Pharmacy students – Michael Kim, Renita Moradian, Samvel Nazaretyan and Michelle Um – competed in the final round of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 22nd Annual National Student Pharmacist Pharmacy & Therapeutics (P&T) Competition in Chicago. This is the thirteenth time a USC team has made it to the finals of the P&T competition over the past twenty-two years.

The AMCP Foundation P&T Competition was created to introduce student pharmacists to the skills necessary for effective formulary review and management. By participating in the P&T Competition, student pharmacists gain experience in gathering and critically analyzing scientific, clinical and economic evidence in a systematic and rigorous fashion. They also hone written and oral communication skills that are increasingly important in today’s health care environment.

Fifty-five teams from AMCP student pharmacist chapters across the country entered the P&T competition, from which 15 were chosen for the semifinals. Of those, five finalist teams ultimately competed in the final round of competition with live presentations. All teams submitted a written evaluation of the competition drug with recommendations for formulary placement and an oral presentation supported by PowerPoint slides.

The study drug for the 2022 P&T Competition was Ponvory (ponesimod) once-daily tablets, a treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

“I’m so proud of this team and everything they have accomplished,” said Vinson Lee, adjunct faculty member and AMCP co-faculty advisor, who served as one of the competition advisors, and noted this is the 13th time a USC team has made it to the finals of the P&T competition in its 22-year existence. “I’m so grateful to our alumni who continue to support our AMCP student chapter including Ed Lieskovan (AMCP co-faculty advisor), Michael Pazirandeh, Cynthia Gong, Ann Nakahira, David Bruhn, and Dan Tomaszewski.”

The 22nd Annual National Student Pharmacist Pharmacy & Therapeutics (P&T) Competition took place March 30 – April 1 at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center.