Laura Joszt, MA

The FDA has approved the first biosimilar to treat multiple sclerosis, Sandoz's injection treatment natalizumab-sztn (Tyruko).

The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine Abrysvo is approved for use in pregnant individuals to prevent RSV in infants up to 6 months of age.

The revisions to the ACO REACH model are expected to add predictability and stability while advancing health equity.

Greater attention needs to be on educating patients who are switching from a reference product they are successful on to a biosimilar than a patient who is starting a treatment with a biosimilar at the beginning of their disease journey, explained Laura Wingate, executive vice president, Education, Support, & Advocacy, Crohn's & Colitis Foundation.

The program, which scales an accountable care organization (ACO) model across all major payers in Vermont, reduced Medicare spending and hospitalizations while improving patient care.

Patients were twice as likely to get a colorectal cancer screening and 50% more likely to get a breast cancer screening in their first year of Medicare coverage.

Amjevita’s revenue was down 63% in the second quarter (Q2) compared with the first quarter of 2023, when the biosimilar launched.

Adults younger than 50 years with colorectal cancer (CRC) who experience postpresentation delays in treatment did not appear to have worse outcomes, according to a study in Ontario, Canada.

There is a right way and a wrong way to inform a patient about a switch from the reference product to a biosimilar, explained Laura Wingate, executive vice president, Education, Support, & Advocacy, Crohn's & Colitis Foundation.

Coverage of ASCO sessions and posters that addressed lessons from the Oncology Care Model and concerns about the Enhancing Oncology Model, which launched shortly after the annual meeting ended.

Some populations face longer diagnostic delays for hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), but medical education can help improve knowledge of common dermatologic diseases and reduce delays in diagnosis, said Haley Naik, MD, FAAD, associate professor of dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine.

The playbook from the 3 organizations highlights 5 best practices for data sharing from organizations with real-world experience in value-based care arrangements.

Despite having 8 adalimumab biosimilars on the market now, patients may only see 1 or 2 available through their insurance, explained Laura Wingate, executive vice president, Education, Support, & Advocacy, Crohn's & Colitis Foundation.

Some of the many barriers patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) face include accessing knowledgeable providers, insurance coverage of treatment, and the way the health care system is set up, said Haley Naik, MD, FAAD, associate professor of dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine.

A new analysis finds branded insulin glargine (Lantus) still has a majority of total market volume and new drug starts despite competition from Semglee, an interchangeable biosimilar.

Bispecific antibodies or chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies are both associated with an increased risk of infection for patients with multiple myeloma (MM), explained Hans Lee, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Some of the results with biologics and Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors for atopic dermatitis have been better in practice compared with clinical trials, said Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, PhD, FAAD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

As Humira biosimilars enter the market, patient education about biosimilars is crucial to prevent the nocebo effect when patients switch from the reference product, explained Laura Wingate, executive vice president, Education, Support, & Advocacy, Crohn's & Colitis Foundation.

A report from Samsung Bioepis highlighted the positive correlation between biosimilar usage and average sales price discounts, with the oncology space being more price sensitive than other areas.

After the Supreme Court ruled reimbursement cuts to 340B hospitals were done unlawfully, CMS is proposing to repay hospitals and providers in the program with a lump sum that has repercussions for other hospitals because of the agency’s need to be budget neutral.

The full approval follows an accelerated approval from January 2023 and was based on a confirmatory trial, which found lecanemab slowed disease progression compared with placebo.

Two abstracts presented at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting evaluated biosimilar adoption across oncology practices and highlighted the role payers play in preventing or promoting adoption.

Unless all populations are represented adequately in trials, it will be hard to know if a drug works the same in all populations as it does in one specific one, explained Robert Dellavalle, MD, PhD, MSPH, of University of Colorado School of Medicine and Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center.

After 7 years, competition for Humira is here. The first adalimumab biosimilar launched in January, but an additional 8, including an interchangeable product, will hit the US market in July.

The treatment is the first approved by the FDA to treat the 2 most common subtypes of generalized myasthenia gravis.

Gene therapy is only one exciting area of treatments in the pipeline to potentially treat inherited retinal disease, said Byron L. Lam, MD, professor of ophthalmology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.

The Act4Biosimilars Action Plan seeks to increase biosimilar adoption by at least 30 percentage points in 30-plus countries by 2030.

Glofitamab is the first bispecific antibody with a fixed-duration treatment for adults with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

The pharmacy benefit manager SmithRx has announced that through a partnership with the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, it will offer Yusimry, an adalimumab biosimilar, for less than 90% of the cost of the reference product, Humira.

The most exciting treatment for inherited retinal disease was approved in 2017, but there are many novel treatments in phase 2 or phase 3 trials at this point, said Byron L. Lam, MD, professor of ophthalmology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.