Statins linked to reduced risk of cancer

Two PBMs, True Rx Health Strategies and Capital Rx, are using pharmacogenomics — how a person’s DNA affects their response to medications — to reduce the trial-and-error of prescribing medications, saving employers and patients time and money.

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.

Health policy researcher Geoffrey Joyce argues that only delinking compensation from the list price of a drug will lower drug spending.

Last week, an FDA advisory committee against the risk-benefit profile of Blenrep in combination with other therapies. Regulators and reviewers were concerned about the ocular side effects and dosing and tolerability. The new action date is Oct. 23, 2025.

Sarepta officials said the temporary halt in shipments was done to maintain a productive working relationship with regulators while they address a safety labeling update about the risk of acute liver disease related to Elevidys.

Icotrokinra is a first-in-class targeted oral peptide that blocks interleukin (IL) 23 and its receptor, which plays a key role in the inflammatory response in plaque psoriasis.