The emergence of new COVID-19 variants and the lower-than-anticipated vaccination rates could lead to a greater use of pegfilgratim biosimilars in cancer settings, explained Kashyap Patel, MD, CEO of Carolina Blood and Cancer Care Associates.
The emergence of new COVID-19 variants and the lower-than-anticipated vaccination rates could lead to a greater use of pegfilgrastim biosimilars in cancer settings, explained Kashyap Patel, MD, CEO of Carolina Blood and Cancer Care Associates.
Transcript
Do you anticipate pegfilgrastim utilization trends during the pandemic changing now that the Delta variant has emerged and is causing cases to rise, and if so, how?
I actually expect the trend to increase with the utilization of the biosimilar pegfilgrastim, primarily because we are still going through the [Delta variant surges] and from what I'm hearing from multiple scientists talking about the new Lambda variant, which began somewhere in South America, like how the Delta variant came from South Asia. Right now, we are almost at 175,000 new cases a day and over 1100 deaths reported on Friday. So, I'm worried about where we are right now, with almost 80 million plus Americans not vaccinated who should be vaccinated.
It does concern me that over the next 8 to 10 weeks, even if every American starts getting vaccinated, it's going to take several weeks before we can get our handle on the pandemic. And then, God forbid if we get another variant, like Lambda, and we don't know the sensitivity of vaccination, we don't know how often we need to vaccinate people, even for the booster doses. So, all of these unpredictables make me feel that the trend in utilization of biosimilar pegfilgrastim will go up.
Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work
April 16th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our second episode, in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work program.
Listen
Dr Michael Farwell on FDG PET/CT Imaging to Predict Immunotherapy Response in Advanced Melanoma
April 15th 2024Michael Farwell, MD, associate professor of radiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, provides insights into a study on the benefits of using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT imaging to detect metabolic tumor changes in skin cancer.
Read More
Making Giant Strides in Maternity Health Through Baby Steps
April 9th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are kicking off a special month-long podcast series with our strategic alliance partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our first episode, which is all about the Baby Steps Maternity Program and its mission to support women throughout every step of their pregnancy journey.
Listen
Increasing Lp(a) Awareness for Better Cardiovascular Health: Dr Mary McGowan
March 24th 2024For Lp(a) Awareness Day, Mary McGowan, MD, FNLA, chief medical officer of the Family Heart Foundation, highlights how most people with elevated Lp(a) are completely unaware that they have this increased risk and calls for increased testing.
Read More