New FDA commissioner faces major challenges

Higher costs per claim, coupled with an increased number of patients using specialty drugs, has contributed to higher spend.

In this week's episode of Tuning Into The C-Suite podcast, MHE's Briana Contreras chatted with David Calabrese, R.Ph, MHP, who is senior vice president and chief pharmacy officer of pharmacy care services company, OptumRx. David is also a member of Managed Healthcare Executives’ Editorial Advisory Board. During the discussion, he shared the OptumRx Quarter 2 Drug Pipeline Insights Report of 2020. Some of the information shared includes the three notable drugs currently being reviewed or those that have been recently approved by the FDA. Also discussed were any interesting industry trends to watch for.

Duvyzat was approved in March 2024 and works to reduce the inflammation and loss of muscle experienced by patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Epysqli is a monoclonal antibody that is approved to treat two rare conditions that break down red blood cells.

Boehringer Ingelheim’s high- and low-concentration adalimumab-adbm will be available through GoodRx for $550 for two-pack, which represents a 92% discount from the Humira list price.

If approved, tabelecleucel would be the first therapy specifically to treat Epstein-Barr virus related post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease. The FDA’s action date is Jan. 15, 2025.