Patricia Weiser, Pharm.D.

The FDA orders new warnings for CAR-T cell therapies due to reports of T-cell malignancies, including fatal cases, applying to BCMA- and CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T-cell immunotherapies.

The mean lag time between FDA approval and insurance coverage for 89 cancer drugs ranged from 2.3 months to 8.2 months. But cancer drugs approved more recently were more likely to have shorter coverage lags.

Patients taking Mounjaro after a lifestyle intervention saw a weight reduction of almost 20%.

Researchers identified age and insurance type as significant factors in viral suppression in patient with HIV because of their impact on patient adherence.

Patients who continued with their rheumatoid arthritis biologic medication tended to spend less on healthcare, had a lower chance of being hospitalized, and had shorter hospital stays.

The recent study also found that Jardiance for patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction could be cost-effective if discounted by 29%.

Non-White patients who used copay cards were significantly more likely to encounter copay adjustment programs, such copay accumulators and maximizers, compared with their White counterparts.

This simulation study also showed that semaglutide was the most effective for weight loss, and researchers said, long-term, savings associated with potential lifelong health improvements may shift the balance of cost-effectiveness.

For most drugs, the statutory minimum discounts under the Inflation Reduction Act will not be enough to achieve the savings projected by the Congressional Budget Office.

Long-acting injection formulations of paliperidone improve health outcomes in adults with schizophrenia but that might not be enough to offset their substantial costs, new study finds.

The number of health plans that put in place restrictive policies that go beyond FDA-approved label is increasing, a new Tufts study finds.

Biosimilars that are interchangeable with Humira could provide more competition on price, a new analysis suggests.

Researchers say capping insulin costs at $35 a month has the potential to lower events and costs related to diabetes, such as amputations, vision loss, and heart attacks.

Lifileucel is a polyclonal tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy designed for patients with advanced melanoma who have experienced progression after previous treatment with anti-PD-1/L1 therapy and targeted therapy.

The frequency of drug manufacturer coupon utilization is associated with more market competition—but not patients’ out-of-pocket costs.

The FDA recently approved Brixadi to treat moderate to severe opioid use disorder in patients who have already started treatment with a transmucosal form of buprenorphine, and have approved Opvee as an emergency treatment to reverse known or suspected opioid overdose in people ages 12 years and older.

The list price for a 30-day supply of the drug, Rinvoq, is around $6,125. Eligible patients may be able to benefit from copay savings cards and other financial support programs from AbbVie.

But higher costs for cancer drugs did not influence some common measures of adherence, such as medication possession ratio and proportion of days. The researchers believe that cancer patients may be more likely to adhere to medication regimen, regardless of price, because the drugs are critical for survival.

Researchers found a significant decrease in mortality or discharge to hospice with the hydrocortisone-fludrocortisone combination versus hydrocortisone alone in septic shock cases.

The FDA approved Rexulti (brexpiprazole) for Alzheimer’s-related agitation based on the findings of two clinical trials.

Using a national database, data on medication purchases was collected, along with factors that may have influenced expenditures, such as new therapy availability, patent expirations, policy changes, and legislation.

Cancer-related cost-effective analyses (CEA) referenced higher thresholds than non-cancer-related CEAs, which may suggest interventions for diseases associated with greater mortality and morbidity warrant higher thresholds.

Cystic fibrosis drug Trikafta gets expanded indication for children ages 2-5.

CDI is a leading cause of infections acquired in healthcare settings, including hospitals and nursing homes. After recovering, individuals may get the infection again, and the risk of recurrence increases with each infection.

The study found that Medicare patients used low-benefit options more frequently than high-benefit options.

One of the warnings regard the risk of opioid-induced hyperalgesia, a condition associated with taking opioids that causes an increase in pain or an increased sensitivity to pain.

Omisirge is a stem cell therapy that helps the body recover more quickly from cancer treatments that kill normal blood cells along with blood cancer cells, thus lowering the risk of infection.

HyQvia is the first FDA-approved treatment for primary immunodeficiency (PI) available as a once-a-month subcutaneous injection. Other treatments for PI, while similarly effective, present a greater burden to patients, often requiring more frequent injections or more invasive routes of administration

Tirzepatide was associated with a greater reduction in hemoglobin A1c and body weight versus semaglutide. Though, with a current list price of $1,023 for a one-month supply of tirzepatide (Mounjaro; Lilly), is it worth it?

The FDA granted the EUA based on the PANAMO phase 3 clinical trial results demonstrating that vilobelimab improved survival compared to placebo, with a 23.9% relative reduction in all-cause mortality at 28 days.