Specialty Pharmacy

Although therapeutics and vaccines for COVID-19 have dominated the news in the last year, development of other drugs has continued.

A metanalysis published in SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine found that administering the therapies early in a patient’s treatment could be associated with better outcomes.

Directions in Oncology Pharmacy® is getting to know oncology pharmacy professionals through a series of interviews. In this issue, we talk to David DeRemer, PharmD, BCOP, FCCP, FHOPA, president of the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) Board of Directors, whose term ends this month.

The Star Rating for Biosimilars Act, HR 2855, aims to create a biosimilars access measure in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Star Ratings Program.

Cynthia Lynch, MD, breast cancer program clinical advisor with Cancer Treatment Centers of America, said oncology pharmacists are vital team members who can help ensure optimal treatment and safety for patients with breast cancer.

This week on Pharmacy Times, there are a number of important topics that will be covered and posted throughout the week.

B cell activating factor appears to promote antibodies against, and inhibitors of, the missing blood clotting factor that is given to patients with hemophilia A to control their bleeding.

The study further explored the various aspects of financial hardships, including material, psychological, and behavioral measures.

Community pharmacists should consider leaning on their specialty pharmacist peers, where available, as we continue to navigate the new, more virtual normal and attempt to expand these types of services in the future.

One mutated version of KRAS that commonly arises in cancer cells is called KRAS(G12C) and it produces a mutated KRAS protein that allows the cells to grow and spread in the body.

The study shows that brentuximab vedotin allowed for reduced radiation exposures and resulted in fewer adverse effects for patients, according to its authors.

Pharmacy Times spoke with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patient Nick Sinagra about his treatment journey and his experiences with 2 different SMA treatments.

This week on Pharmacy Times, there are a number of important topics that will be covered and posted throughout the week.

A new study led by researchers at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing found that breast cancer survivors with a higher risk of cancer recurrence based on genomic testing may experience greater fear of their cancer returning.

Nivolumab is the first and only immunotherapy in combination with chemotherapy to deliver superior overall survival compared to chemotherapy alone in this patient population.

Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association plans to develop tools and resources to support those conducting research in the oncology pharmacy field, with the goal of promoting pharmacist-led research and improving the ability to analyze difficult scientific questions.

Ependymoma is a rare type of tumor that develops in the brain or spinal cord and can occur at any age, but occurs most frequently in young children.

Promising investigational oncology drugs include oral taxanes, small molecule drugs, and immunotherapies.

Common factors that contributed to reported increased dissatisfaction at work include role conflict, quantity of work, workflow disruptions, organizational culture, and leadership support.

Even while therapeutically anticoagulated, patients with cancer have risk factors for recurring venous thromboembolism and bleeding, according to a session at the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association 2021 Virtual Annual Conference.

Sacituzumab govitecan (Trodelvy) approved for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who previously received a platinum-containing chemotherapy and either a PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitor.

A session at the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association Virtual Annual Conference provided an overview of how treatment options are changing with potential new therapies in development for patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

During the initial CAR T-cell therapy period, the total cost of care ranged from $350,000 to more than $2 million.

The safety profile was consistent with the profiles associated with each drug as a monotherapy, with no clinically significant drug-drug interactions observed with the combination.

In a presentation at the Community Oncology Alliance 2021 Virtual Conference, Jeff Sharman, MD, summarized the most important developments in care for CLL.

Over the past 18 months, the FDA has approved 4 new regimens for HER2-positive metastatic disease.

A new study published in Nature Communications used artificial intelligence (AI) to identify 3 new multiple sclerosis (MS) subtypes, which may help identify which individuals are more likely to have disease progression, according to the authors.

The researchers found that patients who reduced their calorie intake by 10% or more and adopted a moderate exercise program immediately after their diagnosis had, on average, 70% less chance of having lingering leukemia cells after a month of chemotherapy than those not on the diet-and-exercise regimen.