Pipeline Preview

Optum Rx officials said they now have eliminated reauthorization requirements for more than 140 chronic disease medications.

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.

More than 50 insurers have pledged to streamline and simplify the prior authorization process through six new commitments.

The FDA had resolved the shortage of Wegovy in April, and telehealth providers were advised to stop selling compounded semaglutide products. Novo Nordisk said that Hims & Hers continues to offer these compounded drugs.

This approval marks the eighth disease indication for Dupixent as a new alternative for patients—many of whom are elderly and have limited treatment options.

This is the first FDA-approved CD19- and CD20-targeted immunotherapy combination for adult patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) and the second indication for Monjuvi.