Laura Joszt, MA

The first of at least 8 adalimumab biosimilars has finally launched in the United States after being kept off the market for years due to settlement agreements with the maker of the reference product, Humira.

Multiple adalimumab biosimilars will hit the US market in 2023, but the drug is still projected to have the largest price increase for the calendar year starting July 1.

Timothy Murphy, MD, FACP, practice president of Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, spoke with The American Journal of Managed Care® about the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on screening for lung cancer.

Big data has valuable implications for analyzing datasets and in day-to-day clinical practice, explained Ken Cohen, MD, director of translational research for Optum Care.

Compared with sorafenib, a combination of sintilimab and a bevacizumab biosimilar improved responses in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Patient quality of life can be improved through shared knowledge between doctors and patients in cancer care using the Cancer and Aging Research Group (CARG) Chemotherapy Toxicity Tool calculator, which Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers piloted, explained Alonso V. Pacheco, MD, medical director and medical oncologist/hematologist, Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers.

Timothy Murphy, MD, FACP, current practice president at Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, spoke with The American Journal of Managed Care® about the current state of lung cancer screenings.

Ken Cohen, MD, director of translational research for Optum Care, talks about the value of prior authorizations in different contexts, and how simplicity can benefit the process in some situations.

New immunotherapies are changing the shape of oncology care, but there is also a need for a system that provides these high-quality therapies to the patients most likely to benefit from them. This might mean doing an assessment and a deeper dive into patient functional status, says Alonso V. Pacheco, MD, medical director and medical oncologist/hematologist, Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers.

Two ranibizumab biosimilars launched in the United States in 2022, but a new report shows comfort and familiarity with biosimilars has gone down compared with a year ago.

Initiatives to address social determinants of health are likely to positively change the health care landscape, and better patient education can contribute to more favorable care choices says Ken Cohen, MD, director of translational research for Optum Care.

A tool to measure chemotherapy toxicity from the Cancer and Aging Research Group can help determine emergency department visits or hospitalization risk, especially for elderly patients, says Alonso V. Pacheco, MD, medical director and medical oncologist/hematologist, Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers.

Creating new incentive models and transparently sharing data in a way that changes behaviors are 2 ways to reduce low-value care in the health care system, explains Ken Cohen, MD, director of translational research for Optum Care.

Research presented at the 64th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition examined how certain patient and demographic characteristics that may be related to socioeconomic disparities impact the risk of hematological cancers; the influence of diabetes on chronic myeloid leukemia; and 2 updates on ponatinib.

Ken Cohen, MD, director of translational research for Optum Care, speaks on the future of more biosimilars hitting the market, and how they will influence value-based care.

The FDA’s approval of lecanemab for Alzheimer disease is very important, but there will remain significant challenges around pricing and access that will need to be addressed to deliver on the promise the therapy actually represents, said Alvaro Pascual-Leone, MD, PhD, of Harvard Medical School.

The lecanemab decision follows the controversial 2021 approval of aducanumab, which led to tight coverage restrictions for monoclonal antibodies directed against amyloid for the treatment of Alzheimer disease.

The addition of adalimumab biosimilars to formularies can help accelerate realized savings as the blockbuster drug Humira faces competition from multiple biosimilars, including 1 approved interchangeable biosimilar.

Two abstracts reviewed venetoclax, the first FDA-approved BCL-2 inhibitor in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and a novel BCL-2 inhibitor to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL).

The approval makes mosunetuzumab the first in its class approved to treat follicular lymphoma and comes shortly after data from a phase 2 trial was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

The top biosimilars content of 2022 reviewed perceptions around switching to a trastuzumab biosimilar, drug costs, and the successful implementation of biosimilars in practice.

Abstracts presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) show 2 tocilizumab biosimilars were comparable to the reference product.

Coverage from the Institute for Value-Based Medicine® event in Denver, Colorado, held October 5, 2022. The event was held in partnership with Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers.

Lucy Langer, MD, MSHS, national medical director, oncology and genomics, MSHS, national medical director, oncology and genomics, UnitedHealthcare, discussed value-based contracting at the IVBM® session October 5, 2022.

There is new data coming out on complementary and alternative therapies for dementia, including supplements, mindfulness techniques, exercise, music therapy, and more, said Kalin Clifford, PharmD, BCGP, BCPS, FASCP, associate professor, Geriatrics Division, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy.

Some of the latest trends in the health-system pharmacy space are ones that have already been around for a while, and organizations will need to understand how to address them at the local level, explained Marie A. Chisholm-Burns, PharmD, PhD, MPH, MBA, FCCP, FASHP, FAST, executive vice president and provost at Oregon Health and Science University.

Once patients with HIV start treatment, pharmacists can play a key role in addressing patient accessibility and affordability of HIV treatments and promoting adherence, said Dena Behm Dillon, PharmD, AAHIVP, HIV clinical pharmacy specialist, University of Iowa Health Care.

There are many risk factors for developing postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), but a simplified risk score can help with assessing those risk factors, said Jawad N. Saleh, PharmD, BSPharm, BCCCP, BCPS, clinical manager of pharmacy services, Hospital for Special Surgery.

Pharmacists can play an important role in dispelling myths about vaccines, as well as identifying patients who are eligible for vaccinations that they haven’t yet received, said Jacinda C. Abdul-Mutakabbir, PharmD, MPH, AAHIVP, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, Loma Linda University.

Intravenous (IV) robotic technology brings advantages for pharmacy staff, but there are also accuracy issues with the technology. In addition, this technology will not be replacing a pharmacy technician job, said Scott Soefje, PharmD, MBA, BCOP, FCCP, FHOPA, director of pharmacy cancer care and assistant professor of pharmacy, Mayo Clinic.