Trending News Today: BeiGene Sets Price for Zanubrutinib for Mantle Cell Lymphoma

On Friday, BeiGene priced its drug zanubrutinib (Brukinsa), a mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) treatment, at $12,935 for a 30-day supply, Reuters reported. According to the article, the FDA on Thursday granted accelerated approval to zanubrutinib for adult patients with previously-treated MCL. Zanubrutinib is the only FDA-approved Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor shown to deliver 100% median occupancy in peripheral blood cells and the only BTK inhibitor with the flexibility to be taken once or twice daily, the article reported.

A new study showed the effectiveness of a digital HIV care navigation intervention for young racial and minority men and transwomen, The American Journal of Managed Care reported. According to the article, the intervention, called Health eNavigation, was used over a 90-day period in which person-delivered short message service text messages provided participants with digital HIV care navigation over the course of 6 months. The study concluded with tips for implementing this type of intervention, such as developing a guide of resources, using peers as digital HIV care navigators, and developing a feedback loop for digital HIV care navigation to inform the patient’s health care team, the article reported.

The Trump administration is seeking to require insurers and hospitals to disclose upfront the actual costs for common tests and procedures in an effort to promote competition and lower prices, The Associated Press reported. According to the article, the final rule issued on Friday would apply to hospitals and a proposed regulation would apply to insurance plans. Disclosure requirements for hospitals would not take effect until 2021, whereas the timing for insurers is unclear, the article reported.