Specialty Pharmacy

More patients with Lynch syndrome will be eligible for genetic testing with availability of a new, more sensitive assay from Myriad Genetics and support for wider use of the test through guidelines issued by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

Researchers safely infuse engineered immune cells in groundbreaking gene therapy study.

Suzanne Tschida, PharmD, BCPS, vice president of specialty benefit and outcomes strategy at OptumRx, talks about how specialty medications are better suited for distribution through a specialty pharmacy over a retail location.

The Midwestern grocery chain has reached agreement to purchase specialty pharmacy solutions provider Amber Pharmacy.

Recent Behçet's disease research has focused on the most frequently seen disease symptoms, but treatment for rarer disease manifestations may suffer as a result.

New program aims to help providers identify compounding facilities that meet more rigorous standards around quality and patient safety.

Using a very high sensitivity assay analyzing changes in levels of MPO and troponin I before, and 3 months after starting a chemotherapy regimen, investigators were able to predict 46.5% of cases of chemotherapy-associated cardiotoxicity before they occurred.

Deaths from chronic hepatitis C virus infection in the United States are grossly underreported, the results of a new study indicate.

Expert on long-term patient outcomes says pharmacists have an ideal opportunity to help patients live healthier lives, lower health care costs.

Avella Collaborates with NIH in Renal Transplant Patient Adherence Study

Of the 3 to 4 million Americans with chronic HCV infection, only 13% to 18% have received treatment. Understanding the current guidelines in HCV treatment and understanding the current role of direct-acting antiviral agents is an important priority for pharmacists.

Participants receiving tocilizumab therapy for rheumatoid arthritis were more likely to have acquired factor XIII deficiency than those receiving other therapies.

A child born infected with HIV in California began treatment hours after birth, and is clear of virus 9 months later.

Gary Rice, RPh, MS, MBA, vice president of clinical services at Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy, talks about Diplomat's adherence program.

Cutaneous reactions occurred in most participants in a Netherlands-based multiple sclerosis therapy study, lowering dermatologic-specific quality-of-life scores.

Noting advances in hepatitis C treatment regimens, Walgreens expands access to its hepatitis C–focused patient care program.

A combination of daclatasvir and asunaprevir for type-1b hepatitis C virus infection has received breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA, meaning a faster path to approval.

Isotretinoin, a treatment for severe acne, has been linked to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in some case reports and 1 study. To investigate whether isotretinoin can induce IBD, French researchers conducted a 2-year nationwide registry study.

A proposed bill allowing biosimilar substitution in Georgia mirrors the state's generic drug substitution regulations.

Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) may increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes, kidney damage, and peripheral neuropathy. Considering the effect of medications to treat MM on blood glucose control may be an important part of choosing a treatment regimen for some patients.

Rounding doses of ipilimumab to the nearest 50 mg resulted in significant cost savings for institutions, a new study found.

Scientists are using monoclonal antibodies to help the body fight off tumors in the same way that the body fights off infections. Monoclonal antibodies that target the interaction of programmed-death receptor-1 (PD-1) on T cells and its ligand (PD-L1) on tumor cells. Merck's MK-3475 prevents the interaction of PD-1 and PD-L1, thereby inhibiting a mechanism by which some tumors avoid immune detection.

Suzanne Tschida, PharmD, BCPS, vice president of specialty benefit and outcomes strategy at OptumRx, talks about how benefit design, financial assistance programs, and co-pay cards can help make medications affordable for patients.

With the approval of several new therapies in hepatitis C, by late 2013, the 2011 hepatitis C treatment guidelines were well out of date. A multidisciplinary group of infectious disease specialists and hepatology specialists have changed that with a website offering treatment guideline updates at unprecedented speed.

A study suggests that antiretroviral therapy has benefits even in patients who do not show a virologic or immunologic response.

Methods to manage rising specialty drug costs were addressed in a session at the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute's 2014 Annual Drug Benefit Conference.