Laura Joszt, MA

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a lot of experimentation with new technologies for remote patient monitoring (RPM) to improve adherence and survival, according to Gregory Vidal, MD, PhD, medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer at West Cancer Center.

Not all Guillain-Barré cases are associated with infection, and studies have suggested a link between the rare disorder and certain cancers, including lymphomas.

The economic burden of rare diseases based on direct, indirect, and mortality-related costs is 10 times greater than the burden for mass market diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and this burden increases when no treatment is available.

During an AHIP webinar, Mark Hamelburg, senior vice president of federal programs at AHIP, explained the shifts coming to Medicare and Medicaid when the public health emergency finally ends.

The supplemental new drug application (sNDA) filing includes data from 2 pivotal randomized phase 3 global studies, ALPINE and SEQUOIA, of chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL). The target action date is October 22, 2022.

The mutation is more common than expected and associated with poor outcomes, according to researchers from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

AHIP released a report looking at the price markups for 10 drugs that can be delivered more affordably through specialty pharmacies, including 3 drugs with multiple biosimilars available.

The new protocol for monitoring acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is simpler than current techniques and is at least as good as the current gold standard.

The treatment was approved in October 2021 and is the first FDA-approved therapy to treat macular edema associated with uveitis via injection to the suprachoroidal space, which provides a more targeted delivery mechanism.

While the number of trials for cancer immunotherapies grew significantly, combination therapies being studied increased while monotherapies decreased.

The model identified risk factors after 6 months of treatment for the purposes of predicting overall survival and identifying which patients could benefit from a shift in treatment.

Health state utilities can be used to examine and compare the cost-effectiveness of the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) as more become available.

A meta-analysis from 3 economists concluded that nonpharmaceutical interventions in response to COVID-19 failed to have a large, significant effect on mortality rates.

The Biosimilars Initiative in British Columbia, Canada, mandated patients with certain conditions on the province’s prescription coverage plan to switch from originator etanercept to a biosimilar.

This represents the approval of the first bispecific antibody to treat wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME).

Disease progression was more likely to be the best response to immunotherapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cirrhosis due to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Biogen is selling its stake in the biosimilar joint venture to Samsung Bioepis for up to $2.3 billion after first investing in 2012.

Incyte has become the latest company to pull an FDA filing following Gilead and Secura Bio, which both voluntarily withdrew therapies that had been granted accelerated approval but hadn’t completed confirmatory studies for full approval.

A review of 3 common risk assessment tools for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) found they successfully predict survival for up to 5 years after initial diagnosis.

The trastuzumab biosimilar Herzuma was shown to have similar clinical efficacy and safety to the reference product in patients with HER2-positive advanced gastric cancer.

Compared with the European Union, biosimilar use in the United States lags, and the US government, health systems, and medical associations all have a role to play.

A meta-analysis found an association between Kawasaki disease and subsequent asthma and allergic rhinitis.

The most-read chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) articles of the year covered use of inhaled corticosteroids, palliative care for advanced COPD, and off-label prescribing of COPD therapies.

In 2021, there were some changes to recommendations and an important FDA approval for patients with heart failure or who are at risk of heart disease.

Articles on treating and protecting patients with blood cancers from COVID-19 and the positive results of zanubrutinib to treat leukemia and lymphoma were among the most read of the year.

The most-read AJAC papers of 2021 analyze real-world programs to transform health care and provide insight into physician perspectives of health care and insurance.

Behavioral cough therapy should be used as early intervention, said Laurie Slovarp, PhD, CCC-SLP, associate professor in the School of Speech, Language, Hearing, and Occupational Sciences at University of Montana.

Despite being the seventh adalimumab biosimilar approved in the United States, there are none on the market yet.

Readers were most interested in articles about cost of therapy, drug efficacy, and a unique case related to COVID-19.

Epigenetics has a role in choosing the right medicine in lung cancer, artificial intelligence can predict outcomes in a highly aggressive cancer, and more.