Skylar is an associate editor for The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) and The Center for Biosimilars®, and joined AJMC® in 2020. She is responsible for covering all aspects of the ever-changing global biosimilar industry and produces content that is accessible and informative for all health care stakeholders.
She has a BA in journalism and media studies from Rutgers University. You can connect with Skylar on LinkedIn.
Alliance for Patient Access Releases Paper on Biosimilar Best Practices in Oncology
July 26th 2021Two oncologists dive into the reasons behind physician hesitancy and unwillingness to prescribe biosimilars to patients with cancer and make suggestions on how to increase confidence in these agents.
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Study Links Lung Function, Education, Area of Residence as Predictors of COPD Diagnostic Delay
July 22nd 2021Investigators detected potential predictors reducing a patients’ ability to receive an early diagnosis for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including poorer lung function, lower education levels, and residing in a rural area.
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Pedometer Intervention Has No Effect on Physical Activity After Pulmonary Rehabilitation for COPD
July 16th 2021Adding a pedometer to pulmonary rehabilitation did not improve long-term physical activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), suggesting pedometers are not an effective strategy to boost physical activity, according to a recent study.
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Originator Drugs Experience Price Drops When Multiple Biosimilars Are Added to Reimbursement Lists
July 15th 2021The price of reference products reduced each time a new biosimilar was added to a drug program’s reimbursement list, supporting the notion that reimbursing biosimilars creates more competition and lowers drug costs, according to a Polish study.
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Meta-Analysis Confirms Cough Medicine Can Improve Symptoms, Lung Function in AECOPD
July 14th 2021A meta-analysis of published literature confirmed that N-aceteylcysteine, a cough medication, was effective at improving symptoms and lung function of patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD).
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Peptides May Provide Key to Identifying Biomarkers for Healing, Infection
July 12th 2021Examination of surgical wound fluids revealed several peptides and proteins that could be useful in identifying biomarkers for wound healing and infection, potentially allowing providers to better diagnose and treat infections.
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Evidence Analyzing Infection Prevention Methods for Surgical Wounds Requires Definition Consensus
July 9th 2021A lack of consensus for the term “immunocompromised” suggests that studies demonstrating the effectiveness of infection prevention in surgical patients at a high risk of wound infection may have limited relevancy.
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Smartphone-Based Algorithm Found Effective at Detecting Early AECOPD
July 8th 2021An algorithm influenced by cough sound recognition and symptom reporting conducted using a smartphone was found to be effective at diagnosing patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD).
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Comorbidities May Delay Healing After Negative Pressure Wound Therapy in Head and Neck Cancer
July 7th 2021Despite positive data showing that negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) can help accelerate wound healing for neck and head wounds, investigators of a review found that the presence of certain comorbidities may slow healing times.
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Tranexamic Acid May Promote Wound Healing by Reducing Blood Loss, Study Suggests
July 1st 2021Topical and intravenous tranexamic acid (TXA) were found to significantly reduce blood loss compared with placebo in patients who have undergone bone surgery, suggesting that both administration methods may be effective at promoting wound healing.
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Study Clarifies Prevalence of Atypical Pathogen Infection in AECOPD
June 30th 2021A recent study examined the prevalence and characteristics of 3 atypical pathogens responsible for respiratory tract infections in patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD), as well as evaluated optimal detection methods.
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Algorithms Using Administrative Data Found to Be Accurate at Detecting AECOPD Events
June 24th 2021Validity assessments revealed that 2 algorithms utilizing administrative claims data and electronic medical records were accurate at identifying moderate and severe events signaling acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD).
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Xcenda Report Shows Biosimilar Competition Lowered Drug Prices of Reference Oncology Biologics
June 23rd 2021A report from Xcenda showed that biosimilars for 8 blockbuster reference biologics have successfully kept drug prices from increasing by an average of 56%, restoring the possibility that biosimilars could achieve significant discounts despite facing several barriers to uptake.
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Older Adults With COPD Report Barriers, Motivators to Using Wearable Activity Trackers
June 22nd 2021Older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) identified factors likely to encourage or discourage patients from utilizing different technologies to track and improve physical activity.
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Expert Panel Makes 7 Recommendations for Vaccinations for Children With AD Receiving Dupilumab
June 18th 2021A panel of health care professionals reviewed published literature to develop a recommendation guide to advise providers on best practices when considering vaccinations for children with atopic dermatitis (AD) on dupilumab.
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Risk Predictive Model May Aid Providers in Diagnosing IPA in AECOPD
June 17th 2021A study evaluating independent risk factors for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in hospitalized patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) validated a potential model that could help providers diagnose IPA earlier.
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Study Finds Patients With COPD Likely to Use eHealth for Disease Management
June 16th 2021Investigators quelled concerns regarding whether patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) would be likely to use eHealth tools after finding that most had internet access and were regular users of information technology.
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Secukinumab Shown to Improve Enthesitis in Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis
June 11th 2021Patients with ankylosing spondylitis taking secukinumab saw improvements in enthesitis, and some achieved complete resolution, suggesting the drug could be a viable option for patients intolerant of or unresponsive to other enthesitis-improving medications.
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Study Identifies Treatable Traits Associated With Declining Lung Function, QOL in COPD
June 10th 2021Treatable traits associated with the decline in lung function and quality of life (QOL) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were detected in a longitudinal study, highlighting targets that physicians can address to better individualize COPD management.
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Sex and Age Differences Found in Virus-Related ED Visits, Hospitalization in COPD
June 5th 2021Variances between sex and age were found among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with a viral infection who visited the emergency department (ED) visit or were hospitalized, highlighting the role that these factors play.
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Physical Frailty Impacts Over 40% of Patients With COPD and Respiratory Failure
June 4th 2021Physical frailty affects a large proportion of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic respiratory failure and current tools for detection may be inadequate, according to a recent report.
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High-Concentration Adalimumab Biosimilar Yields Positive 1-Year Data
June 2nd 2021Celltrion Healthcare’s high-concentration adalimumab biosimilar demonstrated comparable safety, efficacy, and immunogenicity profiles to the reference product for up to a year, providing further evidence supporting use of the product.
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