Specialty Pharmacy

Newsworthy moments, groundbreaking research, and a continuation of industry trends highlight the most read articles on Specialty Pharmacy Times® of 2018.

From clinical trials evaluating treatments to studies unearthing new discoveries about the disease's mechanism, these were some of the top newsworthy moments in multiple sclerosis research in 2018.

The FDA has approved tagraxofusp-erzs (Elzonris, Stemline Therapeutics) infusion for the treatment of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) in adults and in pediatric patients, aged 2 years and older.

Ravulizumab (Ultomiris, Alexion) is the first long-acting complement inhibitor approved for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinura.

Cigna recently announced the completion of its $54-billion purchase of Express Scripts.

Top news of the week from Specialty Pharmacy Times.

The FDA has approved calaspargase pegol-mknl (Asparlas, Servier Pharmaceuticals) as a component of a multi-agent chemotherapeutic regimen for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in pediatric and young adult patients, aged 1 month to 21 years.

A look at last week's top stories in the world of pharmacy.

Top news of the day across the health care landscape.

Biosimilars present a cost-saving opportunity for the health care system, but significant challenges inhibit uptake in the US market.

Top news of the day across the health care landscape.

Review highlights global patterns in excess body weight, drivers of the epidemic, and contribution to cancer burden.

With this approval, olaparib (Lynparza, AstraZeneca and MSD) is the first approved poly ADP ribose polymerase inhibitor for ovarian cancer.

Officials with the FDA have granted accelerated approval to pembrolizumab (Keytruda, Merck) for adult and pediatric patients with recurrent locally advanced or metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC).

As is the case with any service-driven industry, the need to continually assess end-user satisfaction is paramount.

Durvalumab plus tremelimumab did not meet the primary endpoint of the phase 3 MYSTIC trial evaluating improvement in overall survival and progression-free survival compared with chemotherapy.

Top news of the day across the health care landscape.

Foreign-born black women aren’t benefiting from HIV prevention programs at the same rates as other women.

Prucalopride (Motegrity, Shire) is the only serotonin-4 receptor agonist approved for adults with chronic idiopathic constipation.

Specialty pharmacy stakeholders must strike a delicate balance between cost concerns and health outcomes, while keeping the patient at the center.

Top news of the day across the health care landscape.

Patients administered guselkumab achieved an improvement of 90% or more Psoriasis Area Severity Index score than those administered secukinumab.

AMD will affect more than 200 million people globally by 2020 and has become the leading cause of blindness in developed countries.

Two pharmacist groups jointly filed a motion urging the federal judge to block CVS and Aetna from further integration while the potential negative effects are assessed.

Slow-growing gliomas in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 may be vulnerable to immunotherapy.

Cheryl Allen, BSPharm, MBA, Vice President of Industry Relations at Diplomat Pharmacy, discusses the increasing cost burden of cancer therapies and future strategies for mitigating costs.

Top news of the day across the health care landscape.

Study highlights the importance of testing and early intervention in young patients with hepatitis C virus.

Fentanyl, heroin, hydrocodone, and methamphetamine among the most frequently mentioned drugs connected to overdoses, according to a new report from the CDC.

The FDA has approved trastuzumab-pkrb (Herzuma, Celltrion) as a biosimilar to trastuzumab (Herceptin, Genentech) for the treatment of HER2-overexpressing breast cancer.