Challenges in the Management of Oral Oncolytics

During this segment, Bruce Feinberg; DO; Scott Gottlieb, MD; Brian Kiss, MD; and Michael Kolodziej, MD, highlight the issues that payers are encountering with the increased utilization of oral oncolytics and discuss how these issues are being addressed.

Dr Feinberg remarks that oral oncolytics are associated with high costs, which affects adherence, medication therapy management, and overall cost.

Payers are trying to manage these issues by splitting out “specialty pharmacy” medications and working with vendors to negotiate better prices, comments Dr Kiss. However, payment systems are becoming more complex and it is challenging to ensure that oncologists know to which types of pharmacies they should refer their patients for savings.

Professionals are recognizing an increased amount of drug wastage in the handling of these therapies, adds Dr Kiss. For example, many oral oncolytic prescriptions can be ordered via mail. Patients receive a large supply of their oral oncolytic; however, they may need to stop taking the medication due to tolerance issues.

Dr Kolodziej and Dr Gottlieb discuss the systems that pharmacy benefit managers have established in an attempt to resolve these issues.