Denise Myshko

Last year saw the approval of several firsts, including the first vaccines to prevent respiratory syncytial virus in older adults and infants and a first vaccine to prevent the mosquito-borne virus chikungunya.

UnitedHealth Group executives attribute the increase of revenue at Optum Rx to the addition of new clients, expanded relationships with existing clients, and advancements in services.

UnitedHealth Group executives attribute the increase in revenue and earnings to growth at both its Optum and UnitedHealthcare divisions.

Clients are cautious about how the cost in “cost-plus” programs is determined, how rebates factor in and the benchmarks used, says Navitus’s Brent Eberle.

Recent research finds that the prices of cancer drugs are rising, but the factors that contribute to the increases are difficult to pinpoint.

The large pharmacy benefit managers have switched up their coverage of biosimilars, especially the biosimilars to Humira (adalimumab).

The 10 drugs selected by CMS for price negotiation are priced about three times higher in the United States than in other countries, finds a new study by the Commonwealth Fund.

CVS Caremark has entered into an agreement with AbbVie, the manufacturer of Humira, to supply Cordavis with Humira to develop a cobranded product. Cordavis is a CVS company developing private label therapies.

Zilbrysq has a list price $1,047.19 for a 23 mg syringe. It is UCB’s second treatment for patients with myasthenia gravis.

The application for afami-cell to treat patients with advanced synovial sarcoma is the first engineered T-cell therapy for solid tumors submitted to FDA.

Additionally, the FDA has approved Avzivi — the fifth biosimilar that references the cancer drug Avastin.

Zurzuvae has a list price of $15,900 for a 14-day course of treatment. No coverage information has been released.

The application for midomafetamine is the first NDA submission for any psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Eight of 10 drugs reviewed by Institute for Clinical and Economic Review were not supported by clinical evidence.

The FDA has approved the gene therapies Lyfgenia and Casgevy to treat patients with sickle cell disease. Casgevy is the first FDA-approved gene therapy to use the CRISPR gene editing technology.

The FDA has approved Lyfgenia and Casgevy to treat patients with sickle cell disease. Casgevy is the first FDA-approved gene therapy to use the CRISPR gene editing technology.

IQVIA’s Michael Kleinrock and experts at RxBenefits reveal during webinar top pharmacy trends going into 2024.

Zepbound, which was approved last month to treat obesity, is now available in U.S. pharmacies.

Researchers suggest a head-to-head comparative effectiveness study of Ocrevus and Rituxan/biosimilars in patients with multiple sclerosis is needed for payers to negotiate prices for these therapies.

Two investigational therapies for Rett syndrome, using different technologies, aim to control expression of the delivered gene and avoid the adverse events associated with conventional gene therapy.

Zepbound, which was approved last month to treat obesity, is now available in U.S. pharmacies.

A recent study has found that FDA inspections of drug manufacturing facilities have increased since the COVID-19 health emergency but have not yet returned to pre-pandemic numbers.

Shortages are growing because of disruption caused natural disasters and ingredient supply issues, as well as increased demand for certain drugs.

A new survey finds that more people are using semaglutide and other GLP-1 therapies to lose less than 15 pounds.

FDA has approved a new therapy for HR positive breast cancer and announces plan to hold advisory meeting for Abecma in earlier treatment of multiple myeloma. In addition, Janssen has submitted a supplemental application for Rybrevant in NSCLC.

A new gene therapy administered directly to the brain aims to preserve dopamine neurotransmission in patients with multiple system atrophy.

One notable change: CVS Caremark has removed the Humira biosimilar Amjevita and now prefers Hyrimoz and an unbranded biosimilar.

New biosimilars have been added and others removed from CVS Caremark’s standard formulary. One notable change is with the Humira biosimilars. The PBM has removed Amjevita and now prefers Hyrimoz and an unbranded biosimilar.

Beovu led to greater improvement in retinal thickness and reduction of retinal fluid in patients with diabetic macular edema, a secondary endpoint in this head-to-head trial.

This is the latest offering by Express Scripts that aims to bring transparency to prescription drug costs.