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.
Stem Cell Transplant May Be Viable Treatment for Patients With HIV, Leukemia, Says Dr Jana Dickter
November 16th 2022Jana K. Dickter, MD, associate clinical professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, City of Hope, discusses a patient's experience being the oldest person to successfully undergo a stem cell transplant while living with HIV and leukemia.
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Dr Michel Michaelides Speaks About Implications of Gene Therapy Study Results in Ophthalmology
October 27th 2022The results of a study showing improved functional vision and retinal sensitivity have implications for gene therapy in ophthalmological conditions, explained Michel Michaelides, MD, FACP, a consultant ophthalmologist and a professor of ophthalmology at the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology's Genetics Department.
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Dr Ticiana Leal: A Lot of Work Is Needed Regarding Early Detection in Lung Cancer
October 7th 2022Lung cancer screening rates remain low nationwide, and there is a need to better educate patients and clinicians about the importance of screening, said Ticiana Leal, MD, associate professor, director of the Thoracic Medical Oncology Program, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine.
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Dr Rona Silkiss Details the Use of Biologics to Treat Thyroid Eye Disease
October 4th 2022At the American Academy of Ophthalmology's annual conference, Rona Z. Silkiss, MD, FACS, an oculoplastic surgeon and owner of Silkiss Eye Surgery, dived into how biologic therapies can be used to treat thyroid eye disease and what can be done to ensure patients have access to these treatments.
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Dr Michael Cohen Contrasts the Manifestation and Treatment of Wet vs Dry AMD
October 4th 2022Michael N. Cohen, MD, a retinal surgeon at Wills Eye Hospital and Mid Atlantic Retina, describes the differences between wet and dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and how gene therapy could help treat the condition in the future.
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Dr Richard Allen Speaks on the Evolution of Oculoplastic Surgery for Children
October 3rd 2022Richard C. Allen, MD, PhD, FACS, an oculoplastic surgeon at Texas Children's Hospital and a professor at Baylor College of Medicine, spoke on how oculoplastic surgery in pediatric patients has changed at the American Academy of Ophthalmology's 2022 conference.
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Dr Michael Chiang Chronicles the NEI's Research Into AI, Telemedicine in Ophthalmology
October 2nd 2022Advances in imaging and data science are changing the nature of retina practice, and retina specialists need to stay on top of these, said Michael F. Chiang, MD, director of the National Eye Institute (NEI), who also discussed some of the current research the agency is conducting into artificial intelligence (AI) and telemedicine.
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Dr Michel Michaelides Dives Into How Gene Therapy Can Treat Retinitis Pigmentosa
October 2nd 2022Gene therapy can be used to treat retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited eye disease, and there is likely to be an increase in approved gene therapies for ophthalmic conditions, explained Michel Michaelides, MD, FACP, a consultant ophthalmologist and a professor of ophthalmology at the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology's Genetics Department.
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Expensive Targeted Lung Cancer Therapies Need to Be Tailored to the Right Patient
September 29th 2022Targeted therapies have improved outcomes for patients with lung cancer, but the goal needs to be tailoring the right therapy to the right patient, said Ticiana Leal, MD, associate professor, director of the Thoracic Medical Oncology Program, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine.
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Dr William Oh Discusses Goals of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
September 26th 2022William Oh, MD, chief medical officer at Sema4 and a clinical professor of medicine at Mount Sinai, discusses Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and possible reasons for disparities in diagnoses and mortality in prostate cancer.
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Dr Ajay Nooka Discusses Cost Savings and QOL Benefits of MRD-Directed Treatment Decisions
September 16th 2022Being able to use minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity to make treatment decisions, such as stopping maintenance therapy, can have savings related to cost and quality of life (QOL) for patients, said Ajay Nooka, MD, MPH, FACP, associate professor, Winship Cancer Institute.
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Real-world Lung Cancer Testing Rates Are Lower Than They Should Be, Says Dr Ticiana Leal
September 14th 2022Biomarker testing should be done on all patients with an initial diagnosis of advanced nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer, but the testing rates in the real world are lower than they should be, particularly for underserved or minority populations, said Ticiana Leal, MD, associate professor, director of the Thoracic Medical Oncology Program, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine.
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How Should MRD Results Be Used? Experts Don’t Necessarily Agree, Dr Ajay Nooka Says
September 5th 2022Everyone agrees that minimal residual disease (MRD) is the best prognostic tool for multiple myeloma, but there is disagreement on how to use the MRD results, said Ajay Nooka, MD, MPH, FACP, associate professor, Winship Cancer Institute.
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Dr Ajay Nooka Discusses Use of MRD Testing in Multiple Myeloma at Emory
September 2nd 2022Minimal residual disease (MRD) testing is used to understand the depth of response, but currently the data at Emory are not used to make treatment decisions, said Ajay Nooka, MD, MPH, FACP, associate professor, Winship Cancer Institute.
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How Health Care Institutions Can Leverage Biosimilars to Generate Savings
August 17th 2022On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Ryan Haumschild, PharmD, MS, MBA, from Emory Healthcare and the Winship Cancer Institute, explains the evolution of biosimilar pharmacoeconomics and the different strategies that health care institutions can implement to reap the benefits of biosimilar savings.
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Medicines for Europe: Off-Patent Medicines Could Strengthen Europe’s Health Systems
July 21st 2022During its annual conference in Spain, Medicines for Europe shared recommendations for greater use of off-patent medications, such as biosimilars and generics, as a way ensure medicines remain available to patients in light of global events and supply chain issues.
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Most Patients Received Inadequate Information on Switching to Biosimilars, Survey Finds
July 12th 2022A survey of patients with breast cancer and oncologists found that when switching to a trastuzumab biosimilar from the reference product (Herceptin), many patients were not given adequate information on what biosimilars are and their benefits.
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Lessons Learned in New Orleans Can Be Shared Across the US, Powell Says
July 12th 2022This the third installment of a series of interviews on Takeda’s partnership with Xavier University of Louisiana (T-REX), Takeda's Lauren Powell, MPA, PhD, discussed the impact Louisiana's hospital system has had on her work and the need for the pharmaceutical industry to invest in more partnerships like T-REX.
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Dr Lauren Powell: Takeda’s Partnership With Xavier Is a Long-term Investment
July 8th 2022In the second interview in a series, Takeda’s Lauren Powell, MPA, PhD, vice president, US Health Equity & Community Wellness, discussed how a partnership with Xavier University of Louisiana will unfold over several years.
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Dr Zahra Mahmoudjafari Explains How Payers Can Better Manage CAR T Costs, Increase Access
July 2nd 2022Zahra Mahmoudjafari, PharmD, BCOP, clinical pharmacy manager at the University of Kansas Health System, explains some of the strategies that payers can use to improve cost management and increase patient access related to chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) therapies.
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Adding Drug Costs to the Clinical Support Equation
June 23rd 2022Amy Valley, PharmD, vice president of clinical strategy and technology solutions, Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions, discusses the Decision Path, a clinical support tool designed to inform oncology providers about drug costs along with clinical information, all embedded into the electronic health record workflow.
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Vitamin D Provides Therapeutic Benefit Among Patients With MM, Review Says
June 15th 2022A literature review revealed that supplementation with vitamin D could provide therapeutic benefits for patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who are undergoing chemotherapy. However, more research is needed to confirm findings.
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AACR Posters Demonstrate CGP for Biomarker Detection and Multiomics Profiling
June 11th 2022Posters from the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting demonstrated the use of genomic profiling and sequencing can detect immunotherapy biomarkers and predict clinical outcomes in patients with cancer.
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The Challenges of Living With Narcolepsy While Pregnant and How Providers Can Help
June 8th 2022A panel of providers and patients with narcolepsy who are parents shared the struggles and possible support tools that neurologists and other providers should be aware of when caring for patients with narcolepsy who are pregnant or postpartum.
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Idiopathic Hypersomnia Needs More Attention to Overcome Challenges Regarding Diagnosis and Treatment
June 8th 2022During her presentation at SLEEP 2022, Isabelle Arnulf, MD, PhD, a neurologist and professor, detailed the long list of challenges for understanding different aspects of idiopathic hypersomnia and called for more attention to be devoted to future research.
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