Peter Wehrwein, Managing Editor

The manufacturer has reported seven causes of retinal vasculitis associated with Syfovre. Results of an open-label, extension study presented at the American Society of Retina Specialists meeting today show favorable results among those who crossed over from sham to active treatment.

The approval of an ophthalmic bevacizumab biosimilar might mean the end of low-cost, repackaged Avastin as an anti-VEGF treatment for retinal diseases, with the unintended consequence of adding $457 million to Medicare B spending.

In an interview with MHE, Parikh, a retina specialist in New York and director of healthcare delivery research for the Department of Ophthalmology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, described the current situation of biosimilars in retinal medicine and the attitudes of retinal specialists about using the lower-cost alternatives.

Researchers used the American Academy of Ophthalmology's IRIS database to quantify the risk of endophthalmitis — inflammation of intraocular fluids — after injections with anti-VEGF drugs. They found that post-injection endophthalmitis occurs, on average, once every 3,500 injections.

Samsung Bioepsis' SB15 was comparable to Eylea (aflibercept) in a 56-week randomized clinical trial that included a rerandomization at 32 weeks. The rerandomization resulted in 111 study volunteers switching from Eylea to the biosimilar for the last part of the study.

About 20% of patients in the trial of a high-dose, longer-interval regimen of Eylea (aflibercept )switched to shorter intervals, according to data presented today at the American Society of Retinal Specialists annual scientific meeting, which is being held in Seattle. Researchers didn't find any clues as to why in their baseline characteristics.

Research shows a $12,575 savings over two years and no difference in outcome, which result in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $873,000.

A post-hoc analysis didn’t reveal any differences in outcomes by race, macular thickness or baseline visual acuity.

In an interview with Managed Healthcare Executive prior to the meeting, Keyvan Koushan, M.D., a retina specialist at the Toronto Retina Institute and a lecturer in the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences at the University of Toronto, briefly described the design of the PULSAR trial and the positive results that have been reported so far.

Various hypotheses have been proposed. Mechanical pressure from the silicone oil may result in ischemia, said Lihteh Wu, M,.D., at the American Society of Retinal Specialists.

Results from the PULSAR study of high-dose Eylea are scheduled to be presented Saturday morning at the American Society of Retinal Specialists annual scientific meeting, which is being held in Seattle this weekend.

Pros and cons of Syfovre (pegcetacoplan), the newly approved drug for geographic atrophy will be discussed at the American Society of Retinal Specialists annual scientific meeting in Seattle this weekend, predicts leading member of the society. Biosimilars are also on the agenda.

Charles Wykoff, M.D., Ph.D., director of clinical research at Retina Consultants of Texas, noted new treatments for geographic atrophy are predicted to be a hot topic at the American Society of Retina Specialists annual scientific meeting that starts today in Seattle.

Findings reported in JAMA Ophthalmology chip away at one of the reasons for expanding optometrist scope of practice to include office-based laser procedures. But travel time is not the whole story.

Vaccinations at birth are particularly low, according to a report in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Models suggest that more than 500,000 hepatitis B-related deaths would be averted if some key vaccination goals were met.

In addition to a health plan for employees, Johns Hopkins Health Plans has a Medicare Advantage plan, a Medicaid managed care plan and a plan for the families of people who are on active duty in the U.S. military.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin also found that the length of stays in inpatient rehabilitation facilities decreased during the 2020 pandemic months relative to 2019 but that payments per episode increased.

In their annual projections of healthcare spending, the actuaries foresee spending on home healthcare growing at annual rate of 7.7% from 2025 to 2031, which is faster than annual growth of 5.6% for health expenditures overall.

CVS has said it will sell the OTC oral contraceptive, but news reports today said it probably won't be available in the U.S. till early next year.

It is dependent on the hepatitis B virus, so as vaccination against hepatitis B has increased, the prevalence of hepatitis D has decreased. A new treatment drug, Gilead's Hepcludex (bulevirtide), has been approved by European drug regulators but not by the FDA.

Amgen’s Amjevita was already on the pharmacy benefit manager’s National Preferred Flex Formulary.

Results reported in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases did show protection against serious outcomes (emergency room visits, hospitalizations,death) among adults,18-50, with cancer and cardiovascular diseases but no such benefit among those without those diseases. The study also showed no Paxlovid benefit among those with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder.

Medicare-eligible patients need to be enrolled in registry to get Medicare coverage for the anti-beta amyloid drug that is priced to cost $26,500 a year.

7 of them launched during the first several days of July, joining Amgen's Amjevita in the suddenly crowded market of Humira competitors. Pfizer’s Abrilada is the only FDA-approved Humira biosimilar that hasn’t launched.

Boehringer Ingelheim is pricing its biosimilar 5% to 7% below AbbVie’s top selling drug.

Researchers found that 80% of patients were living in the community 90 days after discharge.

Russell Graney, founder and CEO of Aidin, believes that his company can transform post-acute care and its referral process far more efficient.

The price tag of $2.9 million is typical of a new wave of gene therapies. The manufacturer, BioMarin Pharmaceutical, is offering arrangements that will link the price paid by payers to how well patients respond to the treatment.

Sarah K. Emond, M.P.P., will take over as president and CEO of the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) next year. Steve Pearson, M.D.,M.Sc., founded the organization, which has become the leading cost-effectiveness assessment organization of pharmaceuticals in the U.S.