December 2021, Vol 11, No 12

Oncologic drug pricing is being transformed with greater value in mind. At the 11th Annual Summit of the Association for Value-­Based Cancer Care in 2021, a panel led by moderator William McGivney, PhD, Managing Principal, McGivney Global Advisors, Wayne, PA, discussed innovation in drug pricing, how the current rebate system supports higher drug costs, balancing new interventions with profits, and the implications of drug price negotiations being considered in Congress. Read More ›

Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have developed a new approach to marketing themselves as stewards of the self-funded employers’ healthcare benefit, and it is having direct negative consequences for patients. Under the alternate funding program, new or costly therapies used to treat serious and chronic conditions, including cancer, are being singled out. Read More ›

Rapid adoption of FDA-approved biosimilars is feasible, measurable, and scalable—and pharmacists should lead the charge, according to data presented at the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology Quality Care Symposium. Read More ›

At the 11th Annual Summit of the Association for Value-­­Based Cancer Care in 2021, health plans and employers discussed the utility of value-­based contracting for managing oncology care costs while maintaining focus on outcomes of value for patients. Rob O’Brien, Vice President, Specialty, Real Endpoints, Florham Park, NJ, served as moderator for this session. Read More ›

The use of telehealth in the fee-for-service program surged by more than 4000% during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More ›

As 2021 comes to an end, it is vital that practice managers are well-equipped with the skills and knowledge they need as they move forward into 2022. Read More ›

Vaccination with the mRNA-1273 vaccine (Moderna) appears safe in patients with solid tumors receiving immunotherapy, chemotherapy, or chemoimmunotherapy. Read More ›

Patritumab deruxtecan (HER3-DxD), an investigational antibody–drug conjugate targeting the HER3 growth factor receptor, showed promising activity in patients with locally advanced or metastatic EGFR mutation–positive non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had received previous EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy, according to interim results from a phase 1 dose-­escalation and dose-expansion trial. Read More ›

The immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab (Opdivo) appears to be effective in pediatric patients with hypermutant or ultra-hypermutant cancers, according to results from a pilot study presented during the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2021 annual meeting. Read More ›

The following clinical trials represent a selection of key studies currently recruiting patients with colo­rectal cancer for inclusion in investigations of new therapies and new regimens of existing treatments for the disease. Each clinical trial description includes the NLM Identifier to be used as a reference with ClinicalTrials.gov. This information can help oncology practice managers and providers direct eligible patients to one of these clinical trials. Read More ›