James and McPhillips unpack the everyday barriers that keep patients from addressing health concerns and make the case for at-home testing as a way around them, then turn to how pharmacists can improve their counseling once a patient shows up with results in hand.
Al-Ola Abdallah outlined the key adverse events associated with bispecific antibodies, noting that while CRS occurs in over 70% of patients, the majority of cases are grade 1 or 2 and therefore manageable in outpatient settings with appropriate infrastructure, while ICANS is less commonly observed at severe grades compared with CAR T-Cell therapy.
Zahra Mahmoudjafari explained that REMS programs are a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mechanism designed to ensure that the safety risks associated with specific therapies are clearly communicated to prescribers, healthcare facilities, pharmacies, and patients, noting that each REMS program is unique and that BCMA-directed therapies currently carry REMS requirements for bispecific antibodies due to cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity risks, and for belantamab mafodotin due to ocular toxicity, while the REMS programs previously required for CAR T-Cell therapies were recently removed.
Finally, Zepcan and Ali reflect on the single most important lessons for pharmacists new to menin inhibitor therapy and share what they wish they'd known on day one.
In this episode, 'The Long-Term Infection Risk: How Pharmacists Are Approaching Prophylaxis and Monitoring in Bispecific Myeloma Care,' the oncology pharmacists explore the following questions:
In this episode, 'From Treatment to Prevention: How Pharmacists Are Refining CRS Management for Bispecific Antibody Therapy,' the oncology pharmacists explore the following questions:
Jerry P. Abraham, MD, MPH, CMQ, discusses why COVID-19 prevention strategies, including ensitrelvir for postexposure prophylaxis, remain essential for protecting vulnerable patients amid persistent summer transmission.
Jerry P. Abraham, MD, MPH, CMQ, discusses how ensitrelvir's new post-exposure prophylaxis indication gives pharmacists a critical 72-hour window to help prevent COVID-19 in high-risk patients.
Learn how AIMS scoring, video tracking, and team-based follow-up boost tardive dyskinesia detection and VMAT2 treatment persistence.
Winter breaks down the TONES clinical trial program, discussing ESS and Maintenance of Wakefulness Test end points. He covers how these benchmarks translate into what patients actually experience as functional improvements in their daily lives—helping pharmacists understand the real-world significance of the trial data.
Winter explains solriamfetol's distinct pharmacological profile as a dopamine-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor—the first and only agent in its class approved specifically for EDS—and discusses why this mechanism matters clinically compared to other available wakefulness-promoting options.
Boost tardive dyskinesia care with VMAT2 inhibitor education, social media stories, and pharmacist–prescriber teamwork for monitoring and access.
A nephrologist makes the case that value-based care is team-based care—with pharmacists, care managers, and dietitians in the loop.
AI-enabled scheduling, multidisciplinary coordination, and workflow redesign can help cancer centers manage growing patient volumes without compromising safety or workforce well-being.
Predictive scheduling can improve staffing, pharmacy preparation, infusion capacity, and the overall patient experience.
CVS pharmacists expand into frontline care, guiding immunizations, birth control prescribing, and at-home tests like UTIs and fertility to steer patients toward timely, cost-effective treatment.
In an interview with Pharmacy Times, Ming-Hei Tai, PharmD, BCOP, discusses emerging bladder-preserving therapies for NMIBC, the limitations of single-arm trial data, the continued role of BCG, and the clinical and operational factors that should guide treatment selection.
Advance verification, multidisciplinary coordination, and AI-enabled forecasting can help infusion centers adjust schedules and treatment plans during chemotherapy shortages.
Zepcan walks through what a complete pharmacist-to-pharmacist handoff should include when a patient with AML on a menin inhibitor moves from an academic center to community care, covering dosing history, QTc and laboratory test baselines, and documented counseling.
Zahra Mahmoudjafari noted that while patients with high disease burden, a history of severe cytokine release syndrome (CRS) or neurotoxicity, poor performance status, or limited caregiver support were historically considered less suitable for community-based administration, significant progress has been made as community centers develop strong patient selection criteria, outpatient roadmaps, and escalation strategies, often in partnership with academic centers for initial step-up dosing.
Zahra Mahmoudjafari emphasized that treatment sequencing in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) must be highly individualized, taking into account prior BCMA exposure, disease burden, caregiver support, logistical factors, comorbidities, and institutional access to specific therapies such as CAR T-Cell therapy, noting that while a standardized algorithm would be ideal, the complexity of the disease and evolving evidence base make a one-size-fits-all approach impractical.
In this episode, Ali tackles the operational barriers that prevent patients from starting menin inhibitors despite being approved.
Angie Maynard, PharmD, MS, BCOP, discusses RCC immunotherapy guidelines, treatment selection, toxicity management, and pharmacists’ clinical role.
In 'Getting CRS Right: Clinical Presentation, Appropriate Response, and Building a Well-Educated Care Team,' our panel of experts delve into the following critical questions:
In this episode, 'Reducing Hospitalization Without Compromising Safety: Step-Up Dosing Criteria and Best Practices in Myeloma,' the oncology pharmacists explore the following questions:
Tim Pflederer, MD, of Evergreen Nephrology, explains why proteinuria, diabetes, and heart failure all point toward the same 2 drug classes.
Hackensack Meridian Health uses a multifaceted approach to diversion auditing and DEA/state reporting requirements, and is beginning to integrate artificial Intelligence (AI) to shift surveillance from a reactive to a proactive process.
Discover how specialty pharmacists boost TD screening, speed treatment starts, and sustain adherence through proactive check-ins, texts, and empathy.
Boost VMAT2 adherence by counseling side effects, streamlining refills with auto or mail-order options, using medication packs, and embedding AIMS screening into team workflows.
Seth Martin, MD, MHS, discusses a simplified machine-learning equation that helps labs deliver more accurate LDL-C results at no cost.
