Expert Interviews

An expert discusses how integrating newer NMIBC therapies faces operational barriers including administration logistics, staff training and formulary restrictions, while solutions require better comparative data, institutional protocols and industry partnerships to overcome unwarranted practice variation.

An expert discusses how real-world evidence is driving gene therapy adoption in BCG-unresponsive disease primarily through demonstrated durability and excellent tolerability, with 30% to 40% of patients achieving long-term disease-free survival despite the need for better comparative data to guide treatment selection.

Panelists discuss how autoantibody testing has high diagnostic accuracy with nearly 100% conversion to hyperglycemia when two or more antibodies are present, though timing of testing is crucial and retesting may be necessary since antibody levels can fluctuate over time.

Audere is closing gaps in HIV care and education with the help of Aimee, their artificial intelligence companion designed to reach women and young girls in South Africa, according to Sarah Morris, CPO of Audere.

A national preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) program would streamline access and improve HIV outcomes but unfortunately never came to pass because of a lack of funding, according to Jeremiah Johnson, executive director, PrEP4All.

Although the FDA approval of lenacapavir as a twice-yearly form of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is “momentous,” cost and access curb excitement, according to Jeremiah Johnson, executive director of PrEP4All.

The high cost of pharmaceutical products coupled with a lack of federally funded HIV programs create barriers for preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) access according to Jeremiah Johnson, executive director, PrEP4All.

A panelist discusses how the FDA approval and NCCN endorsement of retifanlimab plus carboplatin/paclitaxel represents a milestone that should focus attention on adding PD-1 inhibitors to advanced squamous cell anal carcinoma treatment while highlighting future therapeutic opportunities including combination immunotherapies (PD-L1 with CTLA-4 inhibitors), bispecific antibodies targeting EGFR, cellular therapies targeting human papillomavirus-associated antigens E6/E7, and antibody-drug conjugates, emphasizing the critical need to disseminate this recent level-one evidence to providers and remove insurance barriers to ensure patient access to these important treatments.

An expert discusses how patients with vitiligo are often initially misdiagnosed by primary care providers as having fungal infections before being referred to dermatologists, with care coordination typically involving endocrinologists for thyroid management and psychologists for mental health support.

Long-acting injectable PrEP may improve access, protection and adherence, especially for young people and pregnant women, according to Hasina Subedar, a senior technical advisor at South Africa’s National Department of Health, who spoke with editors at IAS 2025 in Kigali, Rwanda.

An expert discusses how high-cost gene therapies require evidence standards including Phase 3 trial data showing complete response rates and durability, real-world evidence and health economic analyses to guide clinical use and coverage determinations before payers scrutinize their carte blanche approval.

An expert discusses how recent updates to AUA, EAU and NCCN guidelines have cautiously shifted toward more bladder-sparing approaches for BCG-unresponsive patients, incorporating new FDA-approved therapies as conditional recommendations for those unwilling or unable to undergo radical cystectomy.

Mulugeta Gebregziabher, Ph.D., spoke with Managed Healthcare Executive ahead of his presentation at IAS 2025 in Kigali, Rwanda, about the risks posed by U.S. cuts to global HIV prevention funding.

At the IAS 2025 conference in Kigali, Rwanda, Banky Olatosi, M.P.H., M.S., Ph.D., of the University of South Carolina, shed light on how systemic racism and social determinants of health influence HIV diagnoses and care across U.S. regions.

While successes have been seen because of HIV self-testing, funding cuts to USAID and PEPFAR will make continued research difficult, according to Anna Bershteyn, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

Panelists discuss how to improve diagnostic accuracy through increased awareness and education among healthcare providers, simplifying antibody testing processes and identifying high-risk patients who should be screened for type 1 diabetes, including those with family history or other autoimmune conditions.

Experts, such as Lloyd Mulenga, M.Sc., M.B., Ch.B., Ph.D., discuss long-acting injectable HIV PrEP's potential in Zambia, emphasizing community involvement and sustainable rollout amid funding challenges.

Alarice Marsh, M.P.H., a deputy director in the National Department of Health of South Africa and program lead of HIV testing services, spoke with MHE editors about her thoughts on the new recommendations for HIV and sexually transmitted diseases that were issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) today.

There is currently a movement to “de-medicalize" PrEP by pushing for more availability at more casual settings than government clinics, according to Anna Bershteyn, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

The most common HIV antibody blood test is called an “A-0” test, which is available for approximately 70 cents in many low- and middle-income countries, according to Anna Bershteyn, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

In this part three interview of a video series, Hari Prasad, CEO of Yosi Health, told Managed Healthcare Executive editors that cutting administrative burdens through digitized prior authorizations could improve patient outcomes and restore valuable time to physicians.

In this part two interview of a three-part video series, Hari Prasad, CEO of Yosi Health, said in an interview with MHE that AI can reduce administrative delays in prior authorization, but it must be paired with oversight to ensure patient safety.

A panelist discusses how given PODIUM-303's benefits across all subgroups, the primary patient population that should receive chemotherapy alone rather than the combination with retifanlimab would be those with contraindications to checkpoint inhibitors, specifically patients with autoimmune diseases such as irritable bowel disease, organ transplant recipients or those with severe rheumatoid arthritis requiring immunosuppressants, where the risks of checkpoint inhibitor administration outweigh potential benefits, while noting that no validated biomarker currently exists to exclude patients from retifanlimab treatment.

An expert discusses how vitiligo patients commonly develop thyroid disease as a comorbidity and face increased skin cancer risk while highlighting the urgent need for new treatments beyond the single FDA-approved ruxalitinib cream to prevent disease spread and reduce reliance on problematic steroids.

An expert discusses how vitiligo significantly affects patients’ psychosocial health due to its visible nature, unpredictable course, slow treatment response, and particularly severe impact on younger patients and those with darker skin tones who may experience depression and social isolation.

A panelist discusses how the POD1UM-303 trial showed that no patient subpopulation was clearly excluded from benefiting from retifanlimab plus carboplatin/paclitaxel in terms of progression-free survival, though PD-L1-negative patients (representing only 10% of the study population) demonstrated a less robust overall survival signal compared to their positive progression-free survival benefit, suggesting that while PD-L1 status is not a validated exclusion biomarker, further research is needed to better understand the optimal benefit in PD-L1-negative patients given prior data showing lower response rates with PD-1 inhibitors in this subgroup.

In an interview with Managed Healthcare Executive, Yosi Health CEO Hari Prasad praised insurers' new voluntary pledge to simplify prior authorization, calling it a key step toward faster care and reduced administrative burdens for providers and patients.