Specialty Pharmacy

An update to the Atlas of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) shows a modest increase in the number of patients with MS and the prevalence of MS between 2008 and 2013. The report also highlights disparities in access to treatment between high- and low-income countries.

Pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia showed better response to the flu vaccine if they received it at a certain point during chemotherapy.

Carfilzomib's ability to inhibit myeloma cell growth and ability to trigger a greater response in proteins associated with cell death than other therapies makes it a promising therapy for multiple myeloma patients.

Researchers in the Netherlands found that improvements in diagnostic testing, new treatments, and better management may be responsible for improvements in physical disability, anxiety, and depression ratings over the past 20 years ago in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

A study published by the American Journal of Pharmacy Benefits compares dose escalation patterns of patients treated with TNF blockers.

In this OncLive video, Jatin J. Shah, MD, assistant professor in lymphoma/myeloma in the Division of Cancer Medicine at the University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses novel therapeutics for the treatment of multiple myeloma.

A Novartis-sponsored study found better continuation rates and higher adherence in participants receiving oral disease-modifying therapy for multiple sclerosis.

Novartis announced a demonstrated improvement in progression-free survival in patients using LBH589 (panobinostat) with bortezomib and dexamethasone.

The ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting offers an opportunity to take the pulse of the profession and learn about new trends and concerns in health-system pharmacy.

Spending on specialty medications is expected to increase 30% by 2017, a report from the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics predicts.

Specialty pharmacy presents itself as both a challenging business model and a significant financial opportunity under the right circumstances, especially for health systems.

Despite lower costs for inpatient and outpatient appointments and surgery for patients receiving infliximab therapy, the costs to administer the therapy make it more expensive than adalimumab therapy.

Drs. Jasielec and Jakubowiak review the state of the art in selecting an optimal induction therapy regimen for patients with multiple myeloma.

A CVS Caremark report predicts further increases in specialty drug spending but suggests strategies for payers to manage costs.

Infliximab therapy has the potential to induce remission in pediatric Crohn's disease patients, but loss of response to the therapy remains a concern.

Combination therapy in patients with psoriatic arthritis has a lower discontinuation rate than that of patients on monotherapy, but comes with a higher price tag.

An HIV-infected baby treated aggressively with antiretroviral therapy starting shortly after birth remains virus-free at the age of 3 years despite having ceased treatment at the age of 18 months.

Steven Lucio of Novation discusses how Teva's Granix (tbo-filgrastim), which was filed through a 351(a) pathway, was approved for only 1 indication--and it was not the indication considered to be the "most definitive" for that particular product.

Aimee Tharaldson of Express Scripts explains why some hepatitis C patients who do not have signs of active disease may want to wait to receive treatment until later this year and early next year, when the FDA is expected to approve sofosbuvir and simeprevir for the treatment of this condition.

The risks and benefits associated with the use of natalizumab must be carefully considered.

Use of tumor necrosis factor–alpha inhibitors was recently linked to the reactivation of ancillary neurologic adverse events.

It is important to measure speed-to-therapy for specialty drugs to evaluate how much time it takes manufacturers, physicians, insurance companies, hubs, and specialty pharmacies to get essential medications to patients.

Manufacturing patents will play a larger role than molecule patents within the biologics development process, and these will also be a factor in terms of bringing complex products to market, argued Steven Lucio, senior director, Clinical Solutions and Pharmacy Program Development at Novation.

Dr. Morrow spoke on a panel last month with other representatives from Pharma at the Therigy Specialty Pharmacy Congress in Orlando, Florida. Here are some of the most notable comments he contributed to the discussion surrounding pharmaceutical manufacturers' outlook on specialty pharmacy.