Specialty Pharmacy

An anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy, ranibizumab prevents vision loss in patients with retinal vascular disorders, which can cause irreversible blindness or visual impairments in adults.

REMS are not intended to minimize all harmful effects of a drug, but instead focus on preventing, tracking, and handling a specific serious risk by informing, educating, and/or enforcing measures that reduce the frequency and/or intensity of the event.

Apalutamide (Erleada, Johnson & Johnson) demonstrated a strong prostate-specific antigen response and high adherence rates in patients with non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

The 5 largest specialty therapeutic groups—oncology, autoimmune, immunology, HIV, and multiple sclerosis—will account for 74% of specialty spending growth over the next five years.

Tucatinib is indicated to treat adults with advanced unresectable or metastatic human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer who have already received at least 1 anti-HER2-based regimen in the metastatic setting.

In MS, the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers, causing deterioration of the nerves.

Beyond the benefits to the pharmacist profession, granting provider status to pharmacists addresses the larger societal problem of growing physician shortages.

Lola Fashoyin-Aje, MD, MPH, associate director of Science & Policy Program to Address Disparities at the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence, discusses the importance of promoting inclusion of members of racial and ethnic minority groups in cancer drug trials.

The results of a new study show a new view of genetic regulation by uncovering how genes and disease are related.

As specialty drugs move through clinical trials and preparations for commercialization begin, significant attention is warranted to this process considering the massive investments that would have been already made in the product up to this point.

Harry Webster, RPh, a registered pharmacist at Walgreens and a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, discusses the impact of stigma associated with PrEP and HIV on patients seeking to treat or prevent HIV.

The guidance noted it is preferable for immunocompromised patients to receive their third dose in a health care delivery setting rather than a pharmacy or public vaccination clinic.

The FDA has approved a second drug, zanubritinib, for the treatment of adult patients with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia.

The FDA has also converted the indication for pembrolizumab from an accelerated to a full, regular approval for patients with urothelial carcinoma.

Experts from Emory Healthcare and Winship Cancer Institute discuss the management of oncology patients by pharmacists within an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center.

The mutated genes in question, TET2 and DNMT3A, each influence the efficacy of treatment in different ways.

Brad McElya, PharmD, director of specialty health solutions at Walgreens, discusses the critical role pharmacists play in providing HIV prevention drugs in communities across America.

Silmitasertib has produced clinical benefit as a monotherapy and in combination with drugs such as gemcitabine and cisplatin.

Pharmacists can help patients with allergies acquire the right oral antihistamines or decongestants, steroid or decongestant nasal sprays, and/or eye drops based on symptoms.

As the price tags for therapies coming to market have soared into the hundreds of thousands and even millions on occasion, paying for them has become an ever-greater cause of concern and focus area.

Patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy who transitioned from intravenous immune globulin to subcutaneous immune globulin showed significantly improved quality-of-life measures.

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

Cheryl Larson, president and CEO of Midwest Business Group on Health, discusses current efforts to manage drug spend and the high cost of specialty drugs on the market.

The investigators concluded that a definite statement on risk or management recommendations cannot be made based on currently published data.

Specialty pharmacists’ roles have grown in new and exciting ways in recent years, and those changes have directly impacted health outcomes for all specialty patients, including patients with HIV.

It is now the only 4-dose-a-year biologic for psoriasis with options to administer via a single-dose pen or prefilled syringe, the company said.

A proactive approach can ensure that the patient is getting the right therapy at the right time and the right treatment plan with the least amount of waste.

English discussed the challenges and highlights of her time in the trial, in addition to what she feels health care professionals should learn from her own treatment experience.

The pandemic taught the pharmacy to provide a deeper level of personalized care and communication than in the past.

Julie Bullock, VP, global head of clinical pharmacology and translational medicine at Certara, discusses the FDA’s new guidance Project Optimus, which addresses issues relating to dose optimization in clinical trials assessing oncology drugs.