Expert Interviews

In a recent conversation with Managed Healthcare Executive, Geoffrey Rutledge, M.D., of HealthTap, warned that the narrative around GLP-1 drugs is often oversimplified—and potentially harmful.

Panelists discuss how ruxolitinib offers significant advantages in atopic dermatitis management through its targeted JAK inhibition mechanism, demonstrating rapid and sustained improvement in itch and lesions, effectiveness across various disease severities and body regions, favorable safety profile compared to systemic alternatives, and potential for reduced healthcare resource utilization over extended treatment periods.

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.

A panelist discusses how type 1 diabetes (T1D) is frequently misdiagnosed in adults due to its overlapping clinical features with type 2 diabetes (T2D), resulting in inappropriate treatment strategies that fail to address the autoimmune destruction of beta cells and lead to accelerated disease progression and complications.

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 difference between specialty drugs and traditional drugs and how each have vied for market competition, according to Jeff Casberg, MS, RPh, senior vice president of clinical pharmacy services at IPD Analytics.

In this first part of a two-part video series, Jennifer Haley, principal research associate of the Health Policy Division at the Urban Institute, spoke with MHE about the impact the proposed Medicaid work requirements could have on millions and research that supports this belief.

Panelists discuss how an 18-month retrospective claims analysis evaluated ruxolitinib's real-world effectiveness in atopic dermatitis, demonstrating sustained disease control, reduced healthcare utilization, decreased steroid dependency, improved medication adherence, and consistent safety outcomes across diverse patient demographics and disease severities compared to conventional treatments.

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.

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).

A panelist discusses how autoimmune screening through detection of diabetes-specific autoantibodies serves as a critical tool for identifying pre-symptomatic type 1 diabetes (T1D), enabling earlier intervention before significant beta cell loss occurs and potentially changing the disease trajectory through timely management strategies.

In this second part of a video series, Shawn Kwatra, M.D., professor and chair of dermatology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, described a common scenario where patients with severe atopic dermatitis must first try and fail multiple topical treatments, all while having widespread symptoms, before insurers will approve systemic therapies.

Current observations and foresight into the world of biosimilars, GLP-1s, PBM and payer trends, according to Jeff Casberg, MS, RPh, senior vice president of clinical pharmacy services at IPD Analytics, and Doug Long, MBA, vice president of industry relations at IQVIA.

Eric Cannon, PharmD, FAMCP, discusses how precision medicine advancements and biomarker development can enable targeted idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) therapies by identifying patient subgroups most likely to benefit from specific interventions. Artificial intelligence (AI) integration offers potential for earlier diagnosis, improved prognostication and personalized treatment optimization through data pattern recognition.

An expert discusses the existing gaps in atopic dermatitis (AD) management, promising areas of research to address unmet needs, and key takeaways from the discussion for the managed care audience regarding AD management.

An expert discusses key considerations dermatologists should keep in mind when integrating newer therapies into their clinical practice, including implementing protocols for patient monitoring and promoting treatment adherence.

Panelists discuss how the 18-month retrospective claims analysis of ruxolitinib revealed sustained efficacy in atopic dermatitis management, with significant reductions in disease flares, healthcare utilization, and concomitant medication use compared to conventional therapies, while maintaining a consistent safety profile across diverse patient populations and disease severities.

Doug Long, BA, MBA, vice president of Industry Relations at IQVIA, shares what's happening in the growing GLP-1 and biosimilars space. Long was a presenter at the annual AMCP 2025 meeting in Houston, where he discussed these topics and more earlier this week.

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.

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.

A panelist discusses how C-peptide serves as a critical biomarker of endogenous insulin production, providing clinicians with valuable insights into remaining beta cell function that can guide personalized treatment approaches and help predict disease progression in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Maria Lowe, Ph.D., associate vice president of Pharmaceutical Intelligence at Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) addresses the possible gene therapies that we could see reach the market this year.

Maria Lowe, Pharm.D., BCPS, associate vice president of pharmaceutical intelligence at the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, described specialty drugs as high-cost treatments requiring complex handling or disease management and highlighted key upcoming approvals, including a new PCSK9 inhibitor for lipid lowering and tolebrutinib, a Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, which could become the first in its class approved for multiple sclerosis.

Julie Patterson, Pharm.D., Ph.D., of the National Pharmaceutical Council, tells Managed Healthcare Executive at the annual AMCP meeting in Houston that the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is a policy that seems to be leading to more consequences than it is benefits.

At the AMCP 2025 meeting, Julie Patterson, Pharm.D., Ph.D., of the National Pharmaceutical Council, explained that the impact of the IRA drug negotiation program on patient access is still unclear, but early research shows that coverage for selected drugs has been strong. However, as Medicare Part D undergoes changes, there are concerns about how plan incentives, formulary design and utilization management might affect future access.

Eric Cannon, PharmD, FAMCP, discusses how LPA1 receptor activation promotes fibrosis in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) through myofibroblast differentiation and ECM production. Admilparant shows promising antifibrotic activity in preclinical models but requires phase 3 efficacy data. As a novel targeted therapy, it may complement existing antifibrotics, particularly for progressive phenotypes with high LPA1 expression.

At the AMCP 2025 annual meeting, Sean Shirk, Pharm.D., stressed the need for payers to stay informed and engaged with legislation to sustain site-of-service efforts despite growing restrictions.