Denise Myshko

Takeda Oncology’s Exkivity treats non-small lung cancer in patients with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations. This is the second approval for this mutation and the first oral therapy.

Clinical appropriateness, not the cost of a drug, is the first consideration in formulary decisions, said Katie Thompson and Katie Deckelbaum of Express Scripts.

Confidio VP Thatcher Sloan described how applying formulary and utilization management effectiveness calculations to drug costs managed by PBMs may paint a truer picture of their economic value to their clients.

Alinia and Sutent have been removed from the drug lists because of the introduction of generic therapies.

WellDyne executives David Skomo, RPh, and Nick Page told PBMI Annual Conference attendees that matching communication channels and messages with patient preference is the way to engage patients and increase adherence.

The affected lots of this rare disease therapy have been contaminated with yeast, mold, and bacteria, which could lead to life-threatening infections.

Amazon is gearing up for an era that includes telehealth and home testing, but the former FDA commissioner says the new model is more than a logistics challenge and that healthcare companies will prevail.

Point32Health is the name of the not-for-profit health care organization formed by the merger of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan.

Investigators found patients with COPD taking Anoro Ellipta had low overall on-treatment exacerbation rates, which can reduce medical costs due to increased adherence to therapy.

ICER’s updated analysis uses observational, real-world data for three therapies — Takhzyro, Haegarda, and Cinryze.

Patients faced with high out-of-pocket costs sometimes delay seeking care for appendicitis or diverticulitis, which can result in higher overall costs, increased risk of mortality, and a worse quality of life.

The CDC and the FDA have updated their recommendations for the 2021-2022 flu season.

Approvals for a twice-yearly schizophrenia therapy and a seizure drug for infants, a full approval for Keytruda, and a revised EUA for a COVID-19 therapy round out the week.

The approval follows the FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee voting 5-3 in favor of maintaining the approval despite a confirmatory trial that found Keytruda did not meet the end points of overall survival and progression-free survival.

Mobile devices for patients to report symptoms associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors address an unmet need.

The full results from the Emperor-Preserved trial show Jardiance reduces the risk of hospital and death from heart failure.

Greater uptake of hepatitis C medication may help improve the health of Medicaid enrollees and reduce the economic burden of untreated hepatitis C on the U.S. healthcare system, the authors said.

The combination bamlanivimab and etesevimab can resume use and distribution to treat mild-to-moderate COVID-19 but only in states where variants resistant to the therapy are low.

Tecentriq loses indication, Xarelto is approved for reduce risks of cardiovascular events, Tibsovo is approved for rare cancer, Skytrofa is a new, once-weekly growth hormone, and supplemental application is filed Orencia graft-versus-host disease.

Bluebook Rx is a new solution that helps employers and plan sponsors better understand and optimize their prescription drug spending.

The new model indicates a small initial impact on new drugs coming to the market, but an impact that grows over time.

Study results reported in JAMA Network Open show that financial incentives are only modestly effective in getting more people to get way screened for colorectal cancer.

ICER’s policy recommendations suggest payers establish step therapy with less expensive systemic agents to allow patients and clinicians to choose from multiple options.

ICER calculations using real-world data would result in major price cuts of three therapies — Takhzyro, Haegarda, and Cinryze — if they were to meet commonly used cost-effective thresholds.

FDA approves Opdivo, Jardiance for new indication, Jemperli gets accelerated approval for solid tumors, and Lilly’s rapid-acting insulin, Lyumjev is approved for administration via an insulin pump.

The report found that mavacamten offers benefits but was above the threshold of $150,000 per quality-adjusted life-years.

At a placeholder price of $75,000 per year for mavacamten used along with standard first-line treatment for symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was above the threshold of $150,000 per QALY.

Including patients in the decision-making process, the authors said, is an important component of patient-centered health care.

The monoclonal antibody had been given an emergency use authorization to treat COVID-19, but the recent spike in cases is driving a shortage in supply.

The move, effective July 15, was the result of a generic now being available.