Hematology

This decision tree model estimates the cost per response and incremental cost per additional responder for romiplostim, eltrombopag, and “watch and rescue” for immune thrombocytopenia.

Ixazomib taken twice weekly with lenalidomide and dexamethasone resulted in high overall response rate (ORR) and a durable response among patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM).

Research presented at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting identified predictors of long-term survival and health-related quality of life (QoL) in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM).

A review of studies found that the time from symptom onset to confirmation of diagnosis of multiple myeloma can be significantly reduced. Currently, many patients experience a more than 3-month delay until their diagnosis is confirmed.

Based on trial results that showed glasdegib, an investigational oral smoothened inhibitor, nearly doubled overall survival (OS) in patients with previously untreated acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the FDA has granted the Pfizer drug a Priority Review.

Cancer cells can take advantage of the BCL-2 protein to survive chemotherapy, but a drug that suppresses BCL-2 may have promise in patients with leukemia who produce too much of the protein.

Patients with myelofibrosis who were treated with Janus-kinase (JAK) 1/2 inhibitors have an increased risk for developing B-cell lymphoma. However, researchers believe there is a pre-existing B-cell clone that patients can be tested for before treatment.

An investigational drug has prolonged survival in patients with a rare and deadly form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Michael Thompson, MD, PhD, FASCO, Aurora Advanced Healthcare, outlines novel therapies being used in the treatment of hematologic malignancies and identified biomarkers for deciding on a treatment approach.

A new approach using gene editing technology could allow chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells to target CD33 in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) but prevent the cells from attacking healthy stem cells, too.

A stem cell mutation that leads to bacterial translocation may help identify patients at risk of developing leukemia.

The interim analysis of the phase 3 A.R.R.O.W. trial found that once-weekly carfilzomib at 70 mg/m2 had superior progression-free survival and overall response rates compared with twice-weekly carfilzomib at 27 mg/m2.

An experimental drug for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with mutations in the gene encoding isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) was found to be safe with durable remissions.

Two abstracts presented at the International Society of Pharmacoeconomic and Outcomes Research Annual International Meeting highlighted patient experiences in blood cancers. One highlighted the worries of patients with acute myeloid leukemia, and the other analyzed economic burdens and resource utilization for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Two study abstracts presented at the International Society of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Annual International Meeting look at the cost burden of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). One analyzed the lifetime cost of relapsed/refractory DLBCL, including third-line and subsequent treatments, and the other examined how being diagnosed with DBLCL can increase the cost burden of chronic conditions among Medicare beneficiaries.

A new study analyzed the burden of multiple myeloma around the world, as well as access to effective treatments. From 1990 to 2016, incident cases and deaths from the disease have grown substantially.

Analysis of patient-reported outcomes found patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia who were treated with inotuzumab ozogamicin reported better quality of life, functioning, and symptom scores compared with patients receiving standard-of-care chemotherapies.

A phase III randomized trial, with results being presented in June at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, found the addition of nelarabine to standard chemotherapy regimen in patients with T-cell malignancies can improve disease-free survival rates.

The FDA has approved Pfizer’s epoetin alfa-epbx (Retacrit), a biosimilar to epoetin alfa (Epogen), marking the first biosimilar approval of 2018 and the first biosimilar erythropoiesis-stimulating agent approved in the United States.

A new case study found that an acute myeloid leukemia patient has remained cancer free for 9 months following treatment with the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell treatment, CYAD-01, and a bone marrow transplant.

The FDA has approved daratumumab in combination with bortezomib, melphalan, and prednisone to treat patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant.

This week, the top managed care stories included a report that insurance coverage gains are reversing; a deal to lower the cost of Praluent for Express Scripts members; findings that synthetic opioids are playing a bigger role in overdose deaths.

Tisagenlecleucel, sold as Kymriah, has gained its second indication following the FDA's approval of the chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma, the most common form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy tisagenlecleucel has been approved for a second type of blood cancer; the National Institutes of Health has started recruiting individuals for a database that will include data on more than 1 million people; Kansas’ request to impose a 3-year lifetime limit on Medicaid benefits is testing just how open the Trump administration is to allowing states flexibility.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell treatments are still new enough that there are still unknown regarding long-term side effects, which is something patients need to understand before they undergo treatment, said Shannon L. Maude, MD, PhD, of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Researchers have identified a new gene that may predispose individuals to develop acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In addition, variants in the gene can influence patient response to treatment.

At the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy’s Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy Annual Meeting, experts addressed the cost of treating patients with hemophilia and the importance of care coordination to ensure a more holistic approach toward caring for these patients.

A new blood test could negate the need for bone biopsies to diagnose a variety of cancers, including multiple myeloma. The test uses a small, low-cost plastic chip that delivers the same diagnostic information of a biopsy through a simple blood draw.

A novel drug that targets MDMX and MDM2, which inhibit a protein that suppresses tumors when they are overexpressed, has tripled the median survival rate in an animal model of human acute myeloid leukemia, according to new research.