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Off-label Avastin, Eylea and Lucentis are the primary treatments for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness. A recent review article looked at the impediments to the biosimilars for these drugs Ophthalmologists are wary about using biosimilars to Avastin (which was approved as a cancer drug) for AMD. Biosimilars to Eylea and Lucentis are not on the market yet. Manufacturers’ rebates and Medicare Part B “buy and bill” policies could make it difficult for them to compete against their brand-name “originator” products.

When managed care got started in the early ’80s, the focus was on physician and hospital services. Primary care doctors were positioned as gatekeepers, controlling referrals to specialists. Insurers came under a lot of criticism for shortening hospital stays. Now much of the managed care energy is trained on drug costs.

Based on several reports in the last couple of years, it’s been a standout that healthcare consumers’ engagement in their own healthcare will drive better outcomes and reduce care costs. With that being said, consumer experience has come under major focus across the industry as a key business driver.

FDA approved Legend Biotech’s chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) treatment, Carvykti (ciltacabtagene autoleucel; cilta- cel), to treat relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) who have received four or more prior lines of therapy.

Briana Contreras, editor of Managed Healthcare Executive spoke with Jason Warrelmann, global director of Healthcare and Life Sciences at UiPath, in this week's episode of Tuning In to the C-Suite podcast. In the discussion Jason addressed the incline of automation in healthcare, why it's necessary for patients and providers and how other healthcare organizations can better overcome the challenges of adopting automation within their health system.

Despite the promise of savings billions of dollars in the United States, adoption of biosimilars has been slow. A roundtable discussion among employers highlighted some of the barriers, including formulary design and drug pricing and rebates.

Colorectal cancer disparities between Black and white adults were eliminated among Kaiser Permanente members in Northern California after the healthcare organization instituted a regionwide, structured colorectal cancer screening program.