Oncology

On Monday, June 26, 2017, the Biden Foundation announced the launch of the Biden Cancer Initiative, their new venture to continue the fight to make progress in cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and care.

As part of its new Drug Competition Action Plan, the FDA has announced it will seek to spur innovation by allowing for accelerated approvals of generic drugs without competitors. It also published a list of drugs without approved generics that could be eligible for this expedited review process.

Data from multiple studies have demonstrated the efficacy of Venclexta/Venclyxto in treating relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia, according to Roche.

A new study finds an association between Medicaid disenrollment in Tennessee and higher rates of late-stage breast cancer diagnoses and delays to treatment.

At the 8th Annual Oncology Market Access & Pricing USA 2017 meeting hosted by eyeforpharma, the discussion included raw material short supplies, pragmatic trials, risk-sharing, and understanding these challenges to meet stakeholder goals.

Researchers at Indiana University have confirmed the clinical utility of 2 laboratory tests that can distinguish benign pancreatic cancer lesions that mimic early signs of cancer and spare patients of unnecessary pancreatic cancer screenings or surgeries.

The US Multi-Society Task Force recently released new recommendations for colorectal cancer (CRC) screenings. Since there has been an increase in CRC among younger Americans, while incidences in those over age 50 is decreasing, the recommendations consider the importance of systematic screening tests even for people without any CRC symptoms.

The FDA has approved Genentech’s Rituxan Hycela for subcutaneous injection for the treatment of certain blood cancers. Rituxan Hycela has similar outcomes as Rituxan, but can be delivered in 5 to 7 minutes compared with 1.5 hours for Rituxan.

The FDA has approved the use of Janssen Biotech, Inc’s immunotherapy Darzalex in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone. Darzalex is used to treat multiple myeloma patients who have previously received at least 2 therapies with lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor.

Researchers investigating the risks of breast, ovarian, and contralateral breast cancer for mutation carriers found that family history and mutation position are important for determining cancer risk estimates, according to a study published in JAMA.

Oncologists envision a move towards using data to become a learning health system, which is aided by the changing landscape emphasizing quality and value, explained Bobby Green, MD, MSCE, senior vice president of clinical oncology at Flatiron Health.

Yousuf Zafar, MD, will advise The Samfund on research and evaluation of data to enhance its ability to combat financial aftereffects of cancer treatment.

A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that a combination of tumor mutation burden and expression of the programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) can predict patient response to nivolumab in non—small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

At the 8th Annual Oncology Market Access & Pricing USA 2017 meeting hosted by eyeforpharma, Sriram Shankar, senior consultant, INC Strategy Consulting, shared his thoughts on the implications of value frameworks for payer strategy.

When undergoing therapy for cancer, patients must be aware of the risks of adverse interactions between the therapy and any other drugs or herbal supplements they take, a new study cautions.

According to a research study published in the journal Cancer, Asian women are less likely than non-Hispanic white women to receive timely follow-up after an abnormal screening mammogram.

A new report from the United States Government Accountability Office is calling for pharmacy systems to better serve veterans through additional capabilities for viewing, exchanging, and using data.

A collaborative study among scientists working across 3 continents has found a strong association between circulating free DNA in patients being treated with olaparib (Lynparza) for prostate cancer and disease outcome.

Young adult cancer survivors face an uncertain path to parenthood-here is one story.

The European Commission has approved Rixathon, a biosimilar of the cancer drug rituximab, for use in Europe, according to an announcement from Novartis, whose Sandoz division manufactures the biosimilar.

Scott Ramsey, MD, PhD, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, discusses determining cost effectiveness of novel treatments, such as immuno-oncology agents, and potential solutions to reducing financial toxicity in cancer care.

Staff at mental health hospitals have long believed that tobacco helped calm patients, when in fact the nicotine only covered symptoms of withdrawal.

At the 8th Annual Oncology Market Access & Pricing USA 2017 meeting hosted by eyeforpharma, pharmaceutical developers shared strategies on how a “value” culture can be infused right from the preclinical stage of oncology product development.

As cancer care moves to payment focused on improving value, payers are more often using regulation and incentive to improve the integration of palliative care into oncology practice.

Guidelines recommend against screening for cancer in patients with shortened life expectancy, but a recent study revealed older patients may not want to consider their life expectancy when discussing with a clinician whether they should stop undergoing cancer screening.