Skylar is an associate editor for The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) and The Center for Biosimilars®, and joined AJMC® in 2020. She is responsible for covering all aspects of the ever-changing global biosimilar industry and produces content that is accessible and informative for all health care stakeholders.
She has a BA in journalism and media studies from Rutgers University. You can connect with Skylar on LinkedIn.
Abstracts Highlight Access Barriers, CV Risks Associated With IBD Care
February 11th 2025Persistent care barriers may lead patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to ration medication or skip doses. The Crohn’s & Colitis Congress 2025 explored these access issues as well as the potential cardiovascular complications related to IBD therapies.
PROSPERO Identifies Key Risk Factors for Gallstones in Crohn Disease
February 4th 2025The findings from the PROSPERO study reveal that multiple hospitalizations, long-term disease duration, prior surgeries, and factors like corticosteroid use and total parenteral nutrition significantly increase the risk of gallstone disease in patients with Crohn disease.
New AGA Guidelines Recommend Risk-Based Prophylaxis for Hepatitis B Reactivation Monitoring
February 1st 2025The American Gastroenterology Association (AGA) updated its clinical practice guidelines for managing hepatitis B reactivation (HBVr) in at-risk individuals, recommending antiviral prophylaxis for high- and moderate-risk patients.
Balancing Cost and Quality in Oncology: A Value-Based Care Perspective
January 30th 2025Travis Brewer, vice president of payer and public health strategy/relations at Texas Oncology, shared that value-based oncology care can achieve both cost efficiency and high-quality outcomes through integrated multidisciplinary teams, flexible payment models, and targeted treatment approaches.
Gene Variant, Season of Birth Identified as Celiac Disease Risk Factors
January 23rd 2025Children born in spring or summer with a specific gene variant may have a higher risk of celiac disease and lower levels of a key protein, according to a study, potentially helping future research on autoimmune diseases.
Harnessing AI to Revolutionize Lung Cancer Care
January 19th 2025Edgardo S. Santos, MD, FACP, FASCO, a hematologist and medical oncologist, discussed how artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing lung cancer care by analyzing imaging data to detect malignancies and interstitial lung disease, while stressing the importance of regulation to ensure its safe and ethical use.
Study Finds Link Between COVID-19 and Elevated Risk of GI Disorders
January 14th 2025A study found that patients with COVID-19 may have a higher risk of developing new gastrointestinal (GI) disorders compared with matched controls, highlighting the need for further research on long-term GI effects post COVID-19 infection.
What Adjunct Therapies Are Most Effective for IBS, IBD?
January 13th 2025A study suggests that adjunct therapies, including the Mediterranean diet, physical activity, and cognitive behavioral therapy, may help alleviate persistent digestive symptoms and improve quality of life for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), alongside standard drug treatments.
Personalized Medicine in GI Cancer: Transforming Treatment With Technology, Lifestyle Insights
January 12th 2025Tiago Biachi, MD, PhD, highlighted the transformative role of personalized medicine in gastrointestinal (GI) cancer treatment through advances in next-generation sequencing and circulating tumor DNA, while emphasizing the importance of lifestyle factors in prevention and recurrence.
How Early Detection, Precision Medicine Can Impact Lung Cancer Outcomes
January 11th 2025Edgardo S. Santos, MD, FACP, FASCO, emphasized the need to eliminate the stigma around smoking in lung cancer, highlighted the importance of early detection and discussed how advances in precision medicine, genomic studies, and targeted therapies have improved patient outcomes and reduced health care costs.
Combining Liquid and Tissue Biopsies for Better Lung Cancer Care
January 5th 2025Edgardo S. Santos, MD, FACP, FASCO, discussed the barriers to precision medicine in lung cancer treatment, including patient concerns about technology understanding and insurance coverage, as well as the reliance on traditional tissue biopsies, emphasizing the benefits of combining liquid and tissue biopsies to improve treatment outcomes and clinical trial eligibility.
Empowering Patients With GI Cancer: Overcoming Immunotherapy Limitations
January 4th 2025Tiago Biachi, MD, PhD, discusses the challenges of treating gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, particularly the limited effectiveness of immunotherapy for "cold tumors" and the need to make them more responsive to immune treatments.
ERISA Industry Committee Sues Minnesota Over PBM Law
January 3rd 2025The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) Industry Committee filed a legal challenge against the Minnesota Department of Commerce, arguing that Minnesota’s Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Licensure and Regulation Act illegally interfered with employer-sponsored health plans by restricting plan design options and increasing costs.
FDA Approves Tislelizumab-jsgr as First-Line Therapy for HER2– Gastric Cancers
January 2nd 2025Tislelizumab-jsgr (Tevimbra) was approved in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic HER2-negative (HER–) gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (G/GEJ) in adults whose tumors express PD-L1.
Revolutionizing Lung Cancer Care: The Impact of Liquid Biopsies
January 1st 2025Edgardo S. Santos, MD, FACP, FASCO, highlighted how liquid biopsies are transforming lung cancer care by enabling faster, less invasive diagnostics, with key applications in early detection, predictive biomarker identification, treatment response monitoring, resistance mechanism assessment, and minimal residual disease detection.
AI in Oncology: Opportunities and Challenges for NSCLC
January 1st 2025Ryan Nguyen, DO, University of Illinois Chicago, highlights the importance of personalized care for patients who have non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in oncology, while cautioning against its limitations, including the risk of unsupported recommendations.
Precision Oncology in NSCLC: Overcoming Patient Selection Barriers
December 23rd 2024Ryan Nguyen, DO, physician and researcher at the University of Illinois Chicago, emphasizes the transformative impact of immunotherapy in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the need for precise biomarkers and equitable access to advanced treatments through systemic testing protocols.
From Approval to Practice: Addressing the Hurdles in Biosimilar Integration
December 12th 2024Recent discussions at an Institute for Value-Based Medicine event highlighted the significant potential of biosimilars in reshaping the health care landscape, despite facing considerable barriers to adoption.
Optimizing Outcomes in NSCLC With Precision Medicine and Teamwork
December 4th 2024Divya Gupta, MD, assistant professor at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, emphasized the transformative role of biomarker-driven therapies in advancing non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment and highlighted the critical importance of multidisciplinary collaboration.
Balancing Cutting-Edge Therapies With Cost in Multiple Myeloma Treatment
December 2nd 2024Matias Sanchez, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago, discussed recent advancements in multiple myeloma treatment, including the potential of cell therapies and bispecific antibodies.
From Data to Dialogue: Transforming Oncology With Real-World Evidence
November 29th 2024Sandra Cuellar, PharmD, from the University of Illinois Chicago, highlights the critical role of real-world data in shaping reimbursement models for oncology therapies and emphasizes the growing importance of patient-centered care through shared decision-making, precision medicine, and patient-reported outcomes.