Skylar Jeremias

Being able to use minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity to make treatment decisions, such as stopping maintenance therapy, can have savings related to cost and quality of life (QOL) for patients, said Ajay Nooka, MD, MPH, FACP, associate professor, Winship Cancer Institute.

Biomarker testing should be done on all patients with an initial diagnosis of advanced nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer, but the testing rates in the real world are lower than they should be, particularly for underserved or minority populations, said Ticiana Leal, MD, associate professor, director of the Thoracic Medical Oncology Program, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine.

Everyone agrees that minimal residual disease (MRD) is the best prognostic tool for multiple myeloma, but there is disagreement on how to use the MRD results, said Ajay Nooka, MD, MPH, FACP, associate professor, Winship Cancer Institute.

Minimal residual disease (MRD) testing is used to understand the depth of response, but currently the data at Emory are not used to make treatment decisions, said Ajay Nooka, MD, MPH, FACP, associate professor, Winship Cancer Institute.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Ryan Haumschild, PharmD, MS, MBA, from Emory Healthcare and the Winship Cancer Institute, explains the evolution of biosimilar pharmacoeconomics and the different strategies that health care institutions can implement to reap the benefits of biosimilar savings.

During its annual conference in Spain, Medicines for Europe shared recommendations for greater use of off-patent medications, such as biosimilars and generics, as a way ensure medicines remain available to patients in light of global events and supply chain issues.

A survey of patients with breast cancer and oncologists found that when switching to a trastuzumab biosimilar from the reference product (Herceptin), many patients were not given adequate information on what biosimilars are and their benefits.

This the third installment of a series of interviews on Takeda’s partnership with Xavier University of Louisiana (T-REX), Takeda's Lauren Powell, MPA, PhD, discussed the impact Louisiana's hospital system has had on her work and the need for the pharmaceutical industry to invest in more partnerships like T-REX.

In the second interview in a series, Takeda’s Lauren Powell, MPA, PhD, vice president, US Health Equity & Community Wellness, discussed how a partnership with Xavier University of Louisiana will unfold over several years.

Zahra Mahmoudjafari, PharmD, BCOP, clinical pharmacy manager at the University of Kansas Health System, explains some of the strategies that payers can use to improve cost management and increase patient access related to chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) therapies.

A real-world analysis found that comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) increases their therapy options patients and CGP testing needs to be utilized more.

Zahra Mahmoudjafari, PharmD, BCOP, clinical pharmacy manager at the University of Kansas Health System, catalogues the chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) therapies that are coming down the pipeline.

Amy Valley, PharmD, vice president of clinical strategy and technology solutions, Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions, discusses the Decision Path, a clinical support tool designed to inform oncology providers about drug costs along with clinical information, all embedded into the electronic health record workflow.

A literature review revealed that supplementation with vitamin D could provide therapeutic benefits for patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who are undergoing chemotherapy. However, more research is needed to confirm findings.

Posters from the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting demonstrated the use of genomic profiling and sequencing can detect immunotherapy biomarkers and predict clinical outcomes in patients with cancer.

A panel of providers and patients with narcolepsy who are parents shared the struggles and possible support tools that neurologists and other providers should be aware of when caring for patients with narcolepsy who are pregnant or postpartum.

During her presentation at SLEEP 2022, Isabelle Arnulf, MD, PhD, a neurologist and professor, detailed the long list of challenges for understanding different aspects of idiopathic hypersomnia and called for more attention to be devoted to future research.

Presenters from SLEEP 2022 contextualized some of the recent research showing the impact of sleep disorders on aspects of mental health, including depressive symptoms and suicide.

Susan Redline, MD, MPH, the SLEEP 2022 meeting keynote speaker, catalogued the evidence proving that continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) does improve health outcomes—refuting a recent controversial report that claims otherwise.

A panel of experts at the SLEEP 2022 conference argued against considering race a risk factor for health complications and disrupted sleep, saying that being on the receiving end of racial discrimination is the true risk factor.

Posters from the SLEEP 2022 conference revealed some of the interaction between idiopathic hypersomnia and different aspects of life, including weight changes and interpersonal relationships.

Michael Ciarametaro, MBA, vice president of research at the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC), explains the ways that the gene therapy market is working to address concerns regarding contractual riders for value-based contracts for expensive therapies.

The FDA approval for Fylnetra represents the fifth approval for a biosimilar referencing Neulasta (pegfilgrastim) in the United States.

Sharon Phares, PhD, MPH, chief scientific officer of the National Pharmaceutical Council, describes the lasting equity concerns regarding the use of health technology assessments (HTAs) for women.

Soumya Vishwanath, PharmD, senior manager of formulary management at Magellan Rx Management, explained what she wishes more people understood about digital therapeutics for behavioral health disorders.

Sharon Phares, PhD, MPH, chief scientific officer of the National Pharmaceutical Council, explained the importance of taking multiple factors into consideration when making health care decisions.

Marking Women's Health Month, Sharon Phares, PhD, MPH, chief scientific officer of the National Pharmaceutical Council, detailed how value assessments can address health care imbalances for women.

Black, Asian, and Hispanic adults in the United States were found to have an increased risk for developing diabetes at lower weights and younger ages compared with White Americans, suggesting that screening recommendations for the disease should be altered to reflect this difference.

Health plans and payers have plenty of options for how to analyze the effectiveness of digital therapeutic tools, as there are several effective strategies, according to Soumya Vishwanath, PharmD, of Magellan Rx Management.