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Illuminate Rx is the country’s first pharmacist-designed pharmacy benefits optimizer (PBO), offering transparent, clinically driven PBM options for brokers and self-funded employers, with a focus on data clarity, flexible formulary design and specialty pharmacy partnerships, according to Robert Gamble, CEO of RxBenefits. 

A Conversation with Robert Gamble, CEO of RxBenefits 

Diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer at age 36 and now in remission, gynecological oncologist Deanna Gerber, M.D., says her experience has made her a better physician and advocate for her patients.

A Conversation With Deanna Gerber, M.D., Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine

A decline in PrEP coverage could reverse HIV prevention gains, causing tens of thousands of preventable infections and billions in added healthcare costs, a new JAMA Network Open study finds.

3.3% Annual Reduction of PrEP Coverage Would Result in Thousands of HIV Infections, Cost Billions 

The new JAMA + Women’s Health multimedia channel focuses on all aspects of women’s health, not just topics like menopause or ovarian cancer, presenting content from across JAMA and JAMA Network in one place. 

JAMA Launches New Channel, JAMA + Women’s Health 

Managed Healthcare Executive gives C-suite executives in health plans and provider organizations news and strategies for value-driven solutions.

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Clinical

Disparities emerged in receipt of systemic therapy, particularly in lung cancer. 

Study Finds Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Treatment for Advanced Lung and Other Cancers Among Medicare Beneficiaries

The study finds less than 1 in 4 go on to second-line treatment.

Real-World Analysis Shows High Costs, Early Discontinuation With ALK Inhibitors in Lung Cancer

National registry study finds overall survival improved across the board after the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) drugs, but gaps remained. Uninsured patients realized smaller gains compared with those with private insurance.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Linked to Widening Cancer Survival Gaps by Insurance Status

FDA Grants Accelerated Approval to First Oral Targeted Therapy for HER2-Mutant Lung Cancer

Lung Cancer Patients Among Those Facing Steep Out-of-Pocket Costs After Diagnosis, Study Finds

Panelists discuss how, as new data on cemiplimab and other checkpoint inhibitors emerge, the treatment pathway for cancers like non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is expected to evolve toward more personalized, targeted approaches. This will enhance survival outcomes, refine patient selection and optimize therapy regimens.

Closing Insights: The Future of Cemiplimab in NSCLC and Beyond

Video content above is prompted by the following: 

As new data on cemiplimab and other checkpoint inhibitors continue to emerge, how do you anticipate the overall treatment pathway for cancers like NSCLC will change?

Videos

Video Series

Panelists discuss how, cemiplimab, a PD-1 inhibitor, has shown promise as a second-line therapy for advanced NSCLC after progression on prior treatments. Continuing cemiplimab post-progression can enhance survival outcomes by maintaining immune system activation against cancer cells.

The Role of Continuing Cemiplimab in Second-Line Therapy After Progression

Discuss the role of continuing cemiplimab in second-line therapy after progression.

Panelists discuss how balancing survival benefits with quality of life involves careful monitoring of treatment-related adverse effects. Managing immune-related adverse events in patients on immune checkpoint inhibitors like cemiplimab requires early detection, timely intervention and proactive strategies to minimize impact on outcomes.

Managing Safety and Quality of Life With Cemiplimab in Advanced NSCLC

How are potential survival benefits balanced with impacts on patients’ quality of life, particularly in the context of treatment-related adverse effects?

How do you approach the management of immune-related adverse events in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors like cemiplimab?

What proactive strategies do you use to minimize the impact of treatment-related adverse events on patient outcomes?

Panelists discuss how subgroup analyses of the EMPOWER-Lung 1 study assessed the efficacy of pembrolizumab across various patient groups, including those with different PD-L1 expression levels, tumor histology and prior therapies. Results demonstrated consistent survival benefits, highlighting pembrolizumab’s broad clinical applicability in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Subgroup Analyses of EMPOWER-LUNG 1

Discuss the Subgroup Analyses of EMPOWER-LUNG 1 study.

Panelists discuss how the five-year prognosis for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has improved with PD-1 inhibitors, showing promising overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Cemiplimab’s outcomes align well with other PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, influencing clinical decisions for its use as a first-line treatment.

Evaluating Five-Year Efficacy Outcomes in EMPOWER-LUNG 1

What is the current five-year prognosis for advanced NSCLC in terms of overall survival and progression-free survival?

How do the reported OS and PFS outcomes compare with other PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in the setting of advanced NSCLC?

How does this new five-year data impact clinical decision-making for cemiplimab as a first-line treatment for patients with advanced NSCLC?

Panelists discuss how, at their practices, histology, staging and ECOG performance status guide treatment decisions for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Compared with EMPOWER-Lung 1, these factors remain crucial. Key biomarkers, such as PD-L1 expression, influence PD-1 inhibitor efficacy. In 2025, treatment options are more personalized with emerging therapies.

EMPOWER-Lung 1: Baseline Characteristics and Modern Treatment Considerations in NSCLC

How does histology, staging and ECOG performance status play into treatment considerations at your practice today, and how do these factors compare to the baseline characteristics of this study?

What other biomarkers, if any, are important in determining the efficacy of PD-1 inhibitors like cemiplimab before initiating therapy, both in NSCLC and for other indications?

Overall, how does this patient population compare with those treated in 2025 with immune checkpoint inhibitors or other first-line treatment options for advanced NSCLC?

Panelists discuss how biomarkers like PD-L1 guide first-line therapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with higher expression favoring PD-1 inhibitors. Other factors like performance status and comorbidities also support their use. Post progression, PD-1 inhibitors are often used alone or in combination for subsequent lines of treatment.

Optimizing First-Line and Sequential Therapy in Advanced NSCLC

What role do biomarkers like PD-L1 play in determining first-line therapy options for advanced NSCLC, and how does level of expression impact initial drug choice?

What other patient characteristics influence initial treatment choices in advanced NSCLC, and how do they support using PD-1s as first-line options?

Following disease progression on initial therapy, how frequently are PD-1 inhibitors used alone or in combination for subsequent lines of treatment?

Panelists discuss how over the last five years, immunotherapy, particularly PD-1 inhibitors, has revolutionized advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment, offering promising first-line therapy options. Prior to the EMPOWER-Lung 1 study, PD-1 inhibitors showed improved survival outcomes as monotherapy. Treatment considerations have since evolved to incorporate patient-specific factors, optimizing therapy based on individual characteristics.

Setting the Stage: Immunotherapy’s Impact and EMPOWER-Lung 1 Study Design

Over the last five years, how has the emergence of immunotherapy in advanced NSCLC shifted the treatment paradigm in terms of the use of PD-1 inhibitors as first-line therapy?

Prior to this study, what was known about the survival outcomes of patients receiving PD-1 inhibitors when used as monotherapy in the treatment of advanced NSCLC?

How have treatment considerations changed regarding the characteristics of patients receiving PD-1 inhibitors since the initiation of this trial?

Otis Brawley’s reputation precedes him. But he says that what people say isn’t quite true.

“I was sometimes categorized as anti-screening. I am not. I am against 

 screening. And I am for applying science,” Brawley said in a recent video interview with 

® editors Briana Contreras and Peter Wehrwein.

Brawley, M.D., now a professor of oncology and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins, has recently joined the 

’s editorial advisory board. As chief medical and scientific officer for the American Cancer Society from 2007 to 2018, Brawley went against the grain by raising questions cancer screening. 

 interview, “we are still overscreening. But it is not as bad as it once was, especially in prostate cancer.” And Brawley has a high opinion of the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) , which issues screening guidelines; he said the task force applies science “very, very well.”

Otis Brawley: Certain Cancer Screening Tests Have Exacerbated Health Disparities

But the USPSTF recommended lung cancer screening for people with a history of heavy smoking in 2013, and it is considering an update that would broaden the recommendation so even more people would be considered candidates for lung cancer screening. Brawley is not shy about expressing his reservations: “Lung cancer screening is a great example of 

Brawley noted that the decisive trial for lung cancer screening was done at 30 of the country’s finest hospitals. Furthermore, he says the recommendations — he was speaking generally not in specific reference to the USPSTF recommendations — come with important qualifications: that the screening be done at a facility where the personnel and equipment can do the low-dose CT screening well and that the people being screened understand risks and benefits well.

“I worry about people (getting screened) in nonacademic settings. I worry about people in rural settings. Is the benefit-to-harm ratio for lung cancer screening going to be the same in the nonacademic setting”

Brawley also sees hospitals as leaping at the chance to provide a new lung cancer screening to the detriment of other programs.

“Unfortunately there are some hospitals that are shutting down navigator programs that would keep women in breast cancer treatment that would ultimately save more lives in order to establish lung cancer screening programs, which are sexy and might bring more prestige to the hospital, and maybe more money.”

Unnecessary care and tests accentuate healthcare disparities, in Brawley’s view. “When we do things in medicine that don’t work,we hurt people. We hurt not just the people who are getting the test or the treatment that should not be sued. We are also hurting other peoplewho need the hospital, who are crowded out of the hospital and can’t get the services they need.”

“Lung cancer screening is a great example of the problem,” says the former chief medical and scientific officer for the American Cancer Society in this third of four-part video series.

Lung Cancer

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