Oncology

A siloed approach to care can worsen patient outcomes, but collaboration between one health system specialty pharmacy and a manufacturer led to better patient care.

Collaboration between health system specialty pharmacists and pharmaceutical manufacturers can benefit patients in the long run.

Collaboration between health system specialty pharmacies and manufacturers can benefit patients in the long run.

“I think in those situations where you can use the lower cost of the drug, you should, because it's going to help the overall societal perspective. That begins to break down, though, when that low-cost drug is the one that you're losing money on,” said Scott Soefje in a Q&A on balancing cost and margin at a site of care.

A Q&A with Karen Fancher, PharmD, associate professor of pharmacy practice at Duquesne University School of Pharmacy, on applying ethical principles to manage complex situations in oncology pharmacy.

A Q&A with Kirollos Hanna, PharmD, director of pharmacy at Minnesota Oncology, on the current and future landscape of bispecific antibodies in myeloma treatment.

The approval for tovorafenib (Ojemda) was based on data from the phase 2 FIREFLY-1 trial, in which the therapy demonstrated an overall repose rate of 67%.

According to Scott Soefje, PharmD, understanding nuances across sites of care can help health care providers optimize patient care delivery while ensuring financial viability across all settings.

Karen Fancher, PharmD, addresses how hearing the perspectives of colleagues can offer invaluable support to shape individualized approaches to ethical dilemmas in oncology pharmacy.

While prioritizing either cost or margin may be necessary at a site of care, big picture items, such as societal responsibility and long-term health care affordability, should guide financial analyses, said Scott Soefje, PharmD.

According to Kirollos Hanna, PharmD, although similarities exist between bispecific therapies in the myeloma space, health care providers should take special note of practical differences and nuances associated with each when operationalizing them at their site of care.

As the potential grows to use emerging bispecifics in earlier lines of myeloma therapy, so does the potential to induce better patient outcomes, said Kirollos Hanna, PharmD.

Researchers were unable to find a significant benefit for patients for the majority of cancer medications given accelerated FDA approval.

A study from the Karolinska Institutet found that 76 out of 145410 patients treated with a GLP-1 developed thyroid cancer during nearly 4 years of follow-up.

In 4 posters presented at the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association Annual Conference 2024, researchers addressed pharmacists’ role in managing patients’ anticancer medications.

Jeffrey Reese, president at Reese Pharmaceutical, discusses what sets ColoTest apart from other at-home colorectal cancer screening tests.

Mirvetuximab soravtansine-gynx (Elahere) was first granted FDA accelerated approval in November 2022.

A blood-based cell-free DNA (cfDNA) test was able to find patients at increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), advanced neoplasia, and advanced precancerous lesions.

The approval was based on data from the phase 1/2 TRANSCEND CLL 004 study, in which the CAR T cell therapy demonstrated statistically significant complete response rates.

A clinical trial showed that nivolumab plus chemotherapy significantly improved overall survival and progression-free survival compared with a chemotherapy combination alone.

This is the fifth oncology indication for zanubrutinib in the United States.

The biosimilar represents a comprehensive, accessible, and high-quality treatment option for patients in the US treated with tocilizumab.

The agency approved denosumab-bddz under two brand names: Wyost and Jubbonti.

The FDA granted accelerated approval to amivantamab-vmjw in May 2021.

Reese Pharmaceutical’s ColoTest has a suggested retail price of $19.99 and will also be sold on major retail shelves later this spring.