Gene Graves winner Penny Allen on drug shortages, advocacy and Gwyneth Paltrow

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - In her more than three decades – “it feels like forever” – in the home infusion industry, Penny Allen has held roles ranging from sales rep to clinician, giving her a broad base of knowledge on which to advocate for patients and policy. 

“That was an evolution over decades, realizing that nine out of 10 people who meet the criteria don’t have coverage for lifesaving therapies,” said Allen, vice president of nutrition support for Optum Infusion Pharmacy. “That really is what drove my frustration with access or lack of access to care over the years.” 

Allen, RD, CNSC, FASPEN, FNHIA, is the recipient of the 2023 Gene Graves Lifetime Achievement Award. She spoke with HME News recently about the challenges she’s seen, the importance of collaboration and the trouble with Gwyneth Paltrow. 

Drug shortages 

Allen says the most disturbing challenge the home infusion industry faces is drug shortages on everything from infused vitamins and electrolytes to sterile water and enteral nutrition, driven by both supply chain challenges and a limited number of manufacturers. 

“We’re in a national shortage – you might have five calls for tube feeding refills today and have to say, ‘I don’t have any of the formulas these patients are on,’” she said. “It’s just mindboggling to me how many products the rest of the world has access to but in the U.S., if one of our major manufacturers goes down, (we’re out of luck). If you don’t eat food and rely on parenteral nutrition – if you don’t have something like thiamine for a couple of weeks – you can die.” 

Clinicians see the “worst of the worst,” says Allen, including patients with cancer or complex GI diseases, which makes hangover clinics and celebrity health fads especially vexing. 

“On a recent podcast, Gwyneth Paltrow was getting an IV infusion of vitamins, but we don’t have vitamins for people with cancer,” she said. “She can drink a Gatorade instead of taking valuable things away from people whose life depends on this.” 

The payer problem 

Payers haven’t increased their pricing in 30 years, but costs have gone way up, says Allen. 

“It’s a whole other kettle of fish to get the insurance companies to understand, you have to give us a price increase,” she said. 

Band together 

Despite the challenges, the patient success stories are what drives Allen to continue her work, she says. 

“But it’s all of our responsibility – if you’re a clinician, if you’re a sales rep,” she said. “I think it’s really important to rally and cheerlead. You don’t have to go to Washington, but you can do little things that collectively can make a difference. I knew nothing about any of this until I landed on a public policy committee. You sit back and you learn. It’s not that scary.”