Skylar Jeremias

Ted Okon, MBA, executive director of the Community Oncology Alliance, spoke with The American Journal of Managed Care® about how the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) lawsuit against pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) could affect the future of pharmaceuticals and oncology.

JT Lew, PharmD, MBA, managed care pharmacist at MultiCare Health System, spoke to the impacts of processes such as prior authorization and step therapy requirements in the realm of multiple sclerosis (MS).

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a legal complaint accusing the 3 largest pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in the US—Caremark, Express Scripts, and Optum Rx—of inflating insulin costs for patients, prompting renewed calls for PBM reform.

The FDA approval of amivantamab-vmjw (Rybrevant) in combination with chemotherapy is the first targeted treatment to cut disease progression risk for EGFR-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Express Scripts is suing the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), demanding the retraction of a report it claims is false and harmful to the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) industry.

The first overall survival analysis of the KEYNOTE-522 trial showed positive outcomes with neoadjuvant pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy followed by adjuvant pembrolizumab monotherapy vs neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone in high-risk early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Policy changes, such as banning spread pricing and promoting transparency, are necessary to realign the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) market and ensure that health care resources benefit patients and providers rather than being diverted by middlemen, according to panelists at the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit.

The need for improved collaboration between payers and providers is key to successfully implementing value-based care initiatives that address patient needs, ensure measurable outcomes, and overcome challenges, according to panelists at the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit.

A panel discussion at the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) Payer Exchange Summit highlighted the tension between state regulation of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) preemption, emphasizing the need for reforms to balance employer uniformity with addressing PBM practices.

Panelists at the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange Summit 2024 agreed that overcoming health care challenges will depend heavily on collaboration and active engagement from multiple stakeholders in the policy and regulatory process.

Sophia Humphreys, PharmD, director of formulary management at Sutter Health, discusses how group purchasing organizations (GPOs) influence integrated delivery networks (IDNs) and hospitals in making formulary decisions, including the adoption of biosimilars.

Steve Pickette, PharmD, BCPS, explains that artificial intelligence (AI)–driven formulary analysis can significantly enhance the efficiency and accuracy of drug selection processes by rapidly compiling and analyzing evidence.

JT Lew, PharmD, MBA, highlights that the primary challenges for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in accessing prescribed medications include dealing with the shock of the diagnosis, navigating complex health plan benefits and out-of-pocket costs, and experiencing delays due to insurance barriers.

Celltrion's adalimumab-aaty biosimilar is now accessible for all Costco members, while Amgen sues Samsung Bioepis over the latter’s denosumab biosimilar candidate, and GlycoNex progresses its denosumab biosimilar SPD8 to phase 3 trials.

The FDA approved Sandoz’ Enzeevu, the fourth aflibercept biosimilar to be approved for Americans with age-related macular degeneration and other retinal eye diseases.

A study demonstrates the value of incorporating protein signatures in creating more advanced prediction tools for patient outcomes.

Various speakers comment on why meetings like the Society for Pediatric Dermatology (SPD) 2024 Annual Meeting are important for the advancement of pediatric dermatology.

Timothy Caulfield, JD, research director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta, discusses strategies for building trust, overcoming cultural and language barriers, and enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration in pediatric dermatology at the Society of Pediatric Dermatology conference.

Timothy Caulfield, JD, research director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta, takes a look at the major sources spreading dermatology misinformation to children, including social media.

Nichole Halliburton, APRN, CNP, a family nurse practitioner at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, explains the ways that patient education, parents and caregivers, and emerging technologies can help improve the quality of pediatric dermatology care.

Rebecca Flynn, MSN, APRN, CPNP-PC, a nurse practitioner (NP) at Children's Mercy Kansas City Dermatology, explained the roles that NPs and advanced practice providers (APPs) can fulfill in ensuring the efficiency of triage systems in a pediatric dermatology clinic.

Kelly Harris, APRN, an advanced practice registered nurse at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, discusses using mobile care units to deliver dermatology care and education to underserved communities and how health systems can implement them.

At the Society for Pediatric Dermatology annual conference, Faye Brown, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, a family nurse practitioner at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, highlights how telemedicine efforts can be utilized within dermatology triage systems to better care for pediatric patients.

James Treat, MD, goes over some of the ways food can impact patients' atopic dermatitis, as well as the pros and cons of elimination diets to mitigate food-related triggers.

Peter Lio, MD, a dermatologist and clinical assistant professor at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, discusses strategies for managing pediatric atopic dermatitis and how proper management can impact the disease course.

Jennifer Miller, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist at Lurie Children's Hospital, discusses the challenges of systemic corticosteroid use in children, such as adrenal suppression and growth delays.

Timothy Caulfield, JD, discusses the sessions he's most looking forward to at this year's Society for Pediatric Dermatology annual meeting, including his talk on overcoming misinformation in pediatric dermatology.

Donanemab-azbt is the first and only amyloid plaque-targeting therapy approved for adults with early symptomatic Alzheimer disease.

Shawn Kwatra, MD, dermatologist, John Hopkins University, recounts his study assessing the use of nemolizumab in prurigo nodularis presented at the American Academy of Dermatology conference.