Laura Joszt, MA

Over the course of the pandemic, the risk of developing long COVID after a COVID-19 infection decreased, largely due to vaccination.

Beneficiaries who switched from traditional Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan experienced no additional protection from medical costs compared with those who stayed in a traditional Medicare plan.

The treatment regimen not only significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) for patients with advanced stage classic Hodgkin lymphoma but was also better tolerated compared with a 20-year-old regimen being used.

Coverage from the Institute for Value-Based Medicine.

The results of the 3-year follow-up show meaningful improvement in overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) for tislelizumab plus chemotherapy compared with placebo plus chemotherapy.

The number of Americans with type 2 diabetes and/or obesity is rising, and the entry of therapies such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists has been revolutionary.

The latest approval of lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) in mantle cell lymphoma provides another treatment option and continues the tremendous advances in treatment for patients, said Christopher Flowers, MD, of MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The findings can help reduce barriers that delay the onset of recommended palliative care in advanced cancer.

A new program from Optum Rx would offer greater predictability by using a guarantee-based pricing model.

The FDA has approved tarlatamab (Imdelltra; Amgen), a novel bispecific T-cell engager, to treat patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Speakers at the 2024 American Urological Association (AUA) annual meeting highlighted the innovations and advancements that are pushing the field of urology forward.

New therapies being developed are moving into earlier lines of therapy, with the idea that most patients with early-stage prostate cancer will progress and need additional therapy later.

Risk factors and prostate-specific antigen are both important when determining how to move forward with treatment, explained Angela Jia, MD, PhD, of University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

There are increasingly more bladder-sparing strategies for patients with even aggressive bladder cancer, said Alexander Kutikov, MD, FACS, chair, Department of Urology, Fox Chase Cancer Center.

The Medicare trust fund is now expected to deplete in 2036, with the Inflation Reduction Act being credited for at least some of the extension.

With more therapies available in bladder, kidney, and prostate cancers, collaboration among health care providers can help ensure patients are getting the most appropriate care for their type and stage of cancer, said Mary Dunn, MSN, NP-C, OCN, RN, of University of North Carolina.

In 2024, the Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit celebrated 20 years and speakers highlighted the conversations around improving access and affordability taking place at the meeting.

There are many options to try for patients if one therapy doesn’t work, but there are challenges around getting new treatments into the clinic, said Joshua Meeks, MD, PhD, of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Patients with small or slow-growing tumors or those with comorbidities that make them higher risk are likely better candidates for active surveillance, explained Yuzhi Wang, MD, of Henry Ford Health Vattikuti Urology Institute.

Evolving treatment for bladder cancer is going to require a multidisciplinary team to ensure patients are receiving optimal care, said Neal D. Shore, MD, FACS, medical director of the Carolina Urologic Research Center.

While the novel payment models for expensive cell and gene therapies have been effective, they need to continue evolving, said Joe DePinto, MBA, of McKesson.

The health-system specialty pharmacy has the unique ability to coordinate better with the provider and take a team approach that reduces the chances of dropping the ball on the patient’s care.

The annual meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) not only presents the newest therapies coming out but showcases the latest in how treatments are being used in the real world, said Stephen Freedland, MD, of Cedars Sinai.

There are multiple levers that need to be pulled to allow biosimilars to come to market more broadly in the US, explained Fran Gregory, PharmD, MBA, vice president of emerging therapies, Cardinal Health.

When the same product comes to market with additional indications, irrational pricing decisions result in ever-increasing prices instead of volume translating to lower costs, said Jon Mahrt, MBA, of OptumRX.

The real-time monitoring of patients through medically integrated dispensing (MID) programs can reduce costs of care and remove barriers, said Christie Smith, PharmD, MBA, vice president, pharmacy and payer strategy, Cencora.

Payer coverage of biosimilars is always shifting as new ones come to market, explained Tasmina Hydery, PharmD, MBA, BCGP, associate director in digital solutions, Cencora.