Denise Myshko

Disparities for patients with HIV who have cancer exist, and this is driven by social and structural determinants of health, as well as HIV stigma and lack of training for oncologists.

Abacavir/dolutegravir/lamivudine is a fixed-dose combination containing two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI).

Over the last two legislative sessions, many bills have been introduced in the both the House and the Senate, but there are four bills that are important to watch.

Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, two semaglutide products made by Novo Nordisk, as well as Mounjaro (tirzepatide), mimic a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) that targets areas of the brain that regulate appetite and food intake.

The clinical pharmacist will play an important role as a medication expert, filling in for the role that pharmaceutical manufacturers once did in supporting patients and prescribers.

Over the last 5 years, both PBMs and drug manufacturers have implemented restrictions that raise patients’ cost burden for specialty medications.

A Kaiser Family Foundation analysis found the 10 drugs accounted for more than half of the increase in gross Part D spending from 2018 to 2021.

Three new bills signed Monday will require PBMs to use prescription drug rebates to lower premiums and out-of-pocket costs for consumers and prevent the practice of spread pricing.

The median annual cost for new oncology medicines launched in 2022 was $260,000, up from $63,534 10 years ago, an IQVIA report finds.

Members of the United States Senate Committee on Finance want to modernize the rules around PBM business practices to lower out-of-pocket costs and increase competition.

Members of the Senate Finance Committee are pushing PBMs to modernize the rules regarding out of pocket costs and competition.

The suit alleges that Express Scripts, Prime and Prime customer Humana Pharmacy Solutions are able to share drug pricing and rebate information to increase prices for insulins, biologics and cancer drugs.

If approved, Perrigo’s Opill would be the first nonprescription birth control pill ever.

The drug Leniolisib, now with the brand name Joenja, treats APDA, a genetic disorder that impairs the immune system. Its annual list price will be $547,500.

The proposed legislation, sponsored by Chuck Grassley and Maria Cantwell, aims to necessitate transparency from PBMs.

Per VA regulations, anyone who has had a stroke or seizure within the last year, as well as those with MRIs showing microhemmorrhages, aneurysms, lesions or tumors would be excluded from coverage of the drug, called Leqambi

CMS has no plans to change their coverage and approval process, which the Alzheimer's Association believes is standing between patients and treatment.

At the upcoming hearing, the committee will examine the impact of PBMs on access to healthcare and the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Transparency Act which was submitted by Sens. Maria Cantwell and Chuck Grassley.

New approvals include gene therapies, first-in-class drugs, treatments for rare diseases, and cancer, as well as biosimilars.

The Medicare Part D Senior Savings Model — a CMS effort to test $35 copays for insulin — led to lowered total costs for beneficiaries.

Seven of the 10 top selling drugs with high price increases lack the clinical evidence to justify those increases.

A confirmatory trial of Tecentriq in urothelial carcinoma failed to meet the co-primary endpoint of overall survival.

Omnipod DASH PDMs are at increased risk of malfunction if overcharged beyond the maximum battery voltage.

Now with the brand name Relyvrio, the new therapy should be available within four to six weeks. It will have a wholesale acquisition cost of $158,000 per year.

However, researchers found that only a small percentage of plans use available real-world evidence studies and economic evaluations in their coverage policies.

Hospitalization, disability, having private high-deductible, Medicare Advantage, or no coverage were risk factors associated with medical debt.

Patients who received the chemotherapies paclitaxel and docetaxel were at an increased risk of adverse events of the eye.

Survey participants said their drug costs have gone up and almost a third had trouble paying for food and housing because of high drug costs.

A meta-analysis has found that depression and anxiety are significantly correlated with dry eye disease symptoms but not to dry eye disease signs.