Alefacept: A T-cell-specific immunosuppressant to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (PDF)
Alefacept (Amevive) is the first immunosuppressive agent directed specifically at inhibiting the activation of, and possibly killing, T cells, which are involved in the cascade of events leading to psoriatic plaque formation and inflammation. In May, an FDA advisory committee recommended alefacept for approval as a first-line therapy against moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. The authors of this Focus article review the clinical characteristics of alefacept as well as make comparisons with other systemic drugs currently used to treat chronic psoriasis and the likely biologic competitors etanercept and infliximab.
Annual healthcare costs jump by almost $25,000 with targeted therapy for atopic dermatitis that avoided costs from reduced hospitalizations and ER visits only partly offset, according to recently reported research findings.
Findings from an analysis of IQVIA claims data show a prevalence rate that is five times lower than previous reports. Some of the discrepancy could be chalked up to the difference between using claims data instead of self-reporting by survey respondents.
Geisinger Health Plan President Jeremy Gaskill says being owned by a health system aligns incentives, cuts payer-provider busywork and speeds care to patients.
Geisinger Health Plan expects Medicaid enrollment to fall roughly 10% as H.R. 1 takes effect, President Jeremy Gaskill says, though the timing is still unclear.
As other insurers pull back, Geisinger Health Plan isn’t exiting any Medicare Advantage plans for 2027 and expects to grow, President Jeremy Gaskill says.
The second part of our interview with Jeremy Gaskill, the president of the Geisinger Health Plan. Gaskill discusses trends in the various segments of the health insurance market—Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, the employer-based commercial market and the ACA marketplace.