Clinical Pathways

Tumor response rate and progression-free survival were the benchmarks that helped pembrolizumab (Keytruda) gain accelerated approval as first-line treatment for metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), in combination with chemotherapy.

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has provided a D recommendation (discourages the use of service) for thyroid cancer screening in asymptomatic individuals.

The approval comes within months of avelumab being approved for the treatment of Merkel cell carcinoma.

The study of electronic medical records showed that patients on the SGLT2 inhibitor stayed on the medication longer, although both groups took the same amount of time to get their A1C below 8%.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a pilot project that will take advantage of expected savings from biosimilar medications, particularly expensive anticancer agents, to make these treatments available for low- and middle-income countries.

Midostaurin (Rydapt) has been approved by the FDA, in combination with chemotherapy, for the treatment of adult patients newly diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a mutation in the FLT3 gene.

A new report published by the Urban Institute suggests that CMS’ Oncology Care Model could be substantially improved by incorporating a formal framework for shared decision making between patients and oncologists.

Eli Lilly and Company has announced that abemaciclib improved progression-free survival (PFS) when combined with an aromatase inhibitor (AI), compared with AI alone, in patients with breast cancer.

The National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC) today published a letter outlining its thoughts on the FDA draft guidance regarding manufacturer communications about off-label uses of drugs. Today was the final day to comment on the draft before the agency begins to formulate the final version of the guidance.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has raised concerns that utilization management strategies, especially for high-cost prescription drugs, could reduce patient access.

The Deloitte Center for Health Solutions recently interviewed individuals from health plans, providers, and clinical pathway developers that are participating, supporting, or evaluating oncology payment models to understand what approaches are perceived to be working, the early results, and the potential impact on innovation.

The approval comes following phase 2 results of 119 patients who participated in the IMvigor210 study.

The European Respiratory Society and the American Thoracic Society have conducted a comprehensive review of evidence of managing exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in order to create a guideline of clinical recommendations.

Study identifies need for surgeons to maximize benefits of genetic testing for surgical decisions in breast cancer.

A new study has explored factors that impact patient adherence to oral chemotherapy regimens and found that improved satisfaction with their treatment and clinician was most strongly linked to better adherence.

A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine has found that the extent to which clinicians follow breast cancer screening guidelines for patients of different ages varies by their specialty and by which set of recommendations they trust most.

Researchers developed a new framework that can predict long-term outcomes of different therapeutic options for Gaucher disease type 1.

Clinical pathways can successfully be used to drive physicians to choose a less costly regimen when the efficacy and toxicity of different treatment regimens for metastatic colorectal cancer are comparable, according to a study in the Journal of Oncology Practice.

Research presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons indicated that informed patients who engaged in shared decision making with their clinicians had better treatment outcomes and were more satisfied with their experience.

At the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Annual Meeting, held March 27-30, 2017, in Denver, Colorado, the cost of healthcare was on everyone’s minds and was a common thread in most sessions.

A study published in the journal Cancer has found that the rate of advanced imaging at the time of breast cancer diagnosis reduced during the period between 2008 and 2015 in the state of Michigan.

Results from the randomized NOVA trial convinced the FDA to approve niraparib (Zejula) as maintenance treatment for adult patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer who are sensitive to platinum-based chemotherapy.