Clinical

Metastatic breast cancer has a poor prognosis, but emerging targeted therapies are providing some progress in the treatment of the disease, explained Filipa Lynce, MD, medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School.

While bosentan and sildenafil is a common combination therapy in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), patients may need to transition to alternative therapy because of the potential for drug-drug interactions with this combination.

These national and regional barriers, which range from cost of screening to patient education, have hindered the widespread use of screening, say the researchers.

With persons living with HIV increasingly succumbing to age-related diseases, a group of investigators looked into the greater risk of coronary artery disease among these individuals.

Nivolumab, marketed under the name Opdivo, led to a 29% reduced risk of death when combined with certain chemotherapies for gastric cancers.

An educational nursing program can positively impact medication compliance in patients receiving oral pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) therapies.

The upcoming 2021 virtual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) will offer more than 75 sessions. Some of the topics to keep an eye out for include treating minority populations, the impact of COVID-19, and patients with cancer.

The authors said their work is an effort towards making more tailored therapy a reality.

Patients had atopic dermatitis for nearly 10 years before starting the biologic therapy.

If left untreated, patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are at risk of irreversible joint damage, cardiovascular disease, and death. Some other conditions conflated with PsA include chronic eczema, seborrheic dermatitis, onychomycosis, lichen planus, and nodular prurigo.

The study, on the quality of on-demand video telemedicine services, found that patients using telemedicine for respiratory infections were more likely to receive follow-up care, causing higher health care spending.

Based on their analysis, the researchers compiled a recommended number of genes to include in panels for 14 cancer types.

Given that some patients may need to travel out of state to access CAR T sites of care, some may not have a clear understanding of their insurance benefits, including requirements for out-of-state or out-of-network treatment, as well as adequate assistance with the costs of medical-related travel.

The researchers credit wider availability of molecular testing and better understanding of the diseases for the emerging targeted therapies in development.

Three cell and gene therapies were among the drugs included in a specialty drugs pipeline forecast at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy 2021 meeting.

Megan Olsen, MPH, principal at Avalere, discussed how gene and cell therapies can offer new treatment options for patients with cancer.

This is a case study of a male patient with Fabry disease who presented with severe anaphylaxis following re-initiation of full-strength treatment with intravenous agalsidase beta (Fabrazyme).

New research presented at AMCP 2021, the annual meeting of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, evaluated treatment patterns and costs related to hospitalization for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) declined to change the current recommendation to pause administration of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine.

After cases of rare and severe blood clots led to 1 death and 1 hospitalization, the CDC and FDA will pause the use of Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine.

Hospital reimbursement deals slow the adoption of biosimilars in oncology, but cost concerns contribute to the incentives to use these agents.

Russell Langan, MD, chief of Surgical Oncology and Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery at Saint Barnabas Medical Center discusses the workflow of a cloud-based data management platform for patients with pancreatic cysts.

The findings illustrate the importance of prioritizing COVID-19 vaccinations for patients on dialysis.

Patients who experienced a fall within 12 months of multiple myeloma (MM) treatment initiation had a shorter median survival compared to those without falls.

Patients who cut their calorie intake by at least 10% and exercised modestly were 70% less likely to have remaining leukemic cells in their bone marrow 1 month after starting chemotherapy, according to results of an early study.

The study also indicated that the type of transplantation donor impacted outcomes following the procedure.

More information will come from 4-year results, which will be critical to assess whether there is any long-term benefit to visual acuity using aflibercept.

Registry of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) treated with selexipag provides insights into real-world dosing regimens and outcomes.

Results of a retrospective cohort study show that utilization of erenumab was associated with a decreased use of acute and preventive prescription migraine medications. Although adherence to erenumab was higher than other traditional oral prophylactic migraine therapies, adherence rates can be improved.

Kathryn Gold, MD, medical oncologist and associate professor of medicine at UC San Diego, who is a member of the NCCN guidelines panel for small-cell lung cancer, gives insight into the guidelines and the importance of frequent updates.