Laura Joszt, MA

The mutation is more common than expected and associated with poor outcomes, according to researchers from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

AHIP released a report looking at the price markups for 10 drugs that can be delivered more affordably through specialty pharmacies, including 3 drugs with multiple biosimilars available.

The new protocol for monitoring acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is simpler than current techniques and is at least as good as the current gold standard.

The treatment was approved in October 2021 and is the first FDA-approved therapy to treat macular edema associated with uveitis via injection to the suprachoroidal space, which provides a more targeted delivery mechanism.

While the number of trials for cancer immunotherapies grew significantly, combination therapies being studied increased while monotherapies decreased.

The model identified risk factors after 6 months of treatment for the purposes of predicting overall survival and identifying which patients could benefit from a shift in treatment.

Health state utilities can be used to examine and compare the cost-effectiveness of the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) as more become available.

A meta-analysis from 3 economists concluded that nonpharmaceutical interventions in response to COVID-19 failed to have a large, significant effect on mortality rates.

The Biosimilars Initiative in British Columbia, Canada, mandated patients with certain conditions on the province’s prescription coverage plan to switch from originator etanercept to a biosimilar.

This represents the approval of the first bispecific antibody to treat wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME).

Disease progression was more likely to be the best response to immunotherapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cirrhosis due to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Biogen is selling its stake in the biosimilar joint venture to Samsung Bioepis for up to $2.3 billion after first investing in 2012.

Incyte has become the latest company to pull an FDA filing following Gilead and Secura Bio, which both voluntarily withdrew therapies that had been granted accelerated approval but hadn’t completed confirmatory studies for full approval.

A review of 3 common risk assessment tools for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) found they successfully predict survival for up to 5 years after initial diagnosis.

The trastuzumab biosimilar Herzuma was shown to have similar clinical efficacy and safety to the reference product in patients with HER2-positive advanced gastric cancer.

Compared with the European Union, biosimilar use in the United States lags, and the US government, health systems, and medical associations all have a role to play.

A meta-analysis found an association between Kawasaki disease and subsequent asthma and allergic rhinitis.

The most-read chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) articles of the year covered use of inhaled corticosteroids, palliative care for advanced COPD, and off-label prescribing of COPD therapies.

In 2021, there were some changes to recommendations and an important FDA approval for patients with heart failure or who are at risk of heart disease.

Articles on treating and protecting patients with blood cancers from COVID-19 and the positive results of zanubrutinib to treat leukemia and lymphoma were among the most read of the year.

The most-read AJAC papers of 2021 analyze real-world programs to transform health care and provide insight into physician perspectives of health care and insurance.

Behavioral cough therapy should be used as early intervention, said Laurie Slovarp, PhD, CCC-SLP, associate professor in the School of Speech, Language, Hearing, and Occupational Sciences at University of Montana.

Despite being the seventh adalimumab biosimilar approved in the United States, there are none on the market yet.

Readers were most interested in articles about cost of therapy, drug efficacy, and a unique case related to COVID-19.

Epigenetics has a role in choosing the right medicine in lung cancer, artificial intelligence can predict outcomes in a highly aggressive cancer, and more.

A study of the adult Korean population found high salt intake was associated with an increase in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Research using data from the ASH Research Collaborative COVID-19 Registry for Hematology identified risk factors for severe infection and mortality for patients with blood cancers who were infected with COVID-19.

Two posters presented at The Liver Meeting evaluated nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)–associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to understand the burden and identify the risk for developing HCC.

This year the United States only approved 2 biosimilars, but the FDA did grant interchangeable status to the first biosimilar.

Marcus Neubauer, MD, chief medical officer, The US Oncology Network. He is an expert in precision medicine, value-based care, and clinical pathways.