Latest Conference Articles

Additional studies about roxadustat, a drug in the new class of hypoxia-inducible factor stabilizers, were released during Kidney Week; one of them explored its role in lowering cholesterol in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and anemia.

The decision to go on dialysis is often automatic, but using a shared decision-making process reduces the chance that a patient will regret it later.

People who experience acute kidney injuries (AKIs) in the hospital have higher rates of cardiac disease and death compared with those who have been discharged, said Benjamin Griffin, MD, a nephrologist and assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Iowa.

High incidence of kidney failure in minority groups can be attributed to faster progression of kidney function decline in these populations, said Guofen Yan, PhD, associate professor of biostatistics in the department of public health sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

While sickle cell disease is not prevalent in the general population, the significant cost associated with the condition warrants action from payers and formulary decision makers to improve patient access and align cost with their budgetary goals.

In her presentation, Aimee Tharaldson, PhD, senior clinical pharmacist of emerging therapeutics at Express Scripts, discussed the upcoming pipeline of specialty drug approvals and their potential impact on the market.

In the current pipeline of specialty medications seeking approval, a majority of development lies within orphan drugs and cancer medications, said Aimee Tharaldson, PharmD, of Express Scripts.

Vadadustat is an investigational drug belonging to a class known as hypoxia-inducible prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors (HIF-PHIs) for the treatment of anemia in chronic kidney disease.

The investigational drug finerenone met its primary endpoint in FIDELIO-DKD of slowing progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with type 2 diabetes and CKD, said Rajiv Agarwal, MD, MS, FASN, a professor of medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine and a staff physician at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.

During a session at CHEST 2020, Robyn Scatena, MD, director of critical care at Norwalk Hospital, outlined 2 communication models to help break bad news in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Rates of delirium for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) have skyrocketed in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, said Brenda Truman Pun, DNP, RN, director of data quality, Vanderbilt Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction, and Survivorship Center.

Experts presenting the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Week session entitled “From Kids to Adults: Chronic Kidney Disease-Mineral and Bone Disorder (CKD-MBD) Across the Life Course,” outlined the detrimental effects of childhood CKD and other kidney diseases on long-term health.

Americans not covered by Medicaid should be aware of 2 key factors: the use of copay accumulators in commercial health plans and management of emerging high-cost specialty prescription drugs.

It is still unclear why patients who should respond to anti–interleukin-5 therapies do not, noted Anne Reihman, MD, Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, University of Colorado.

A collaborative effort between the health system and health plan pharmacists, as well as care managers and prescribers is key to improving clinical, quality outcomes in value-based payment models.

In a session focused on sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s (ASN) Kidney Week, experts highlighted the benefits of using this drug class in patients with kidney disease and outlined future steps for integration of care.

Artificial intelligence allows underserved populations to gain access to a radiologist, pointed out Anthony L. Loschner, MD, assistant professor and associate program director, Critical Care Fellowship Program, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.

Many of the patients in our clinic system were not being screened for chronic kidney disease even though they exhibited risk factors, said Shweta Bansal, MD, FASN, associate professor of medicine in the nephrology division at the University of Texas Health Center at San Antonio.

Pharmacists have an important role to play in the success of value-based payment models, according to panelists who discussed their health plan’s value initiatives at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Nexus 2020 meeting.

Shared decision-making is very important when it comes to choosing biologics for patients, emphasized Nicola Hanania, MD, MS, pulmonary critical care physician and director, Airways Clinical Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.

For pharmacy practices to effectively manage specialty drugs, an extensive staff of pharmacists with clinical and managed care expertise is needed, as well as a collaborative effort between all those involved in the care team.

In a panel discussion at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Nexus 2020 meeting, experts discussed driving factors of and barriers to the use of real-world evidence by payers in oncology decision-making.

Challenges remain, in light of new guidelines, when making treatment decisions for patients with severe asthma, noted Megan Althoff, MD, PhD, second year fellow, University of Colorado, Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine.

Abstracts presented at CHEST 2020 looked at improving diagnosis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with machine learning and the development of intensive care unit delirium in hospitalized patients with ARDS.

In assessing a post–coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) world, several aspects may impact managed care pharmacy practices long-term, including self-administration of therapies and issues in pharmacy reimbursement spotlighted by the pandemic.

A panel discussion examined the changes in the health care landscape occurring due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, particularly around pharmacists’ scope of practice, and which changes are likely to persist after the pandemic.

Addressing pandemics requires preventing infections, controlling the spread of the disease, and minimizing deaths through the use of comprehensive plans, policies, and procedures.

Updated asthma guidelines touch on some challenging areas in disease management and treatment, noted Dan Ouellette, MD, MS, FCCP, of Henry Ford Hospital and Wayne State University School of Medicine.