Video Series

Panelists discuss how unconscious bias and weight stigma create barriers to care, requiring providers to acknowledge their own biases, create welcoming clinical environments with appropriate accommodations, and approach patients with compassion rather than judgment about willpower.

Panelists emphasize that effective use of menin inhibitors for KMT2A-rearranged acute myeloid leukemia (AML) requires dispelling common misconceptions about oral targeted therapy, ensuring close monitoring for adverse effects, clarifying treatment goals—especially the role of transplant—and supporting patients through comprehensive education and multidisciplinary care.

Panelists discuss how current multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies show limited effectiveness against progression, but emerging Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors offer promise by targeting both B cells and central nervous system (CNS)–penetrating microglia, with one showing a 31% reduction in confirmed disability progression in clinical trials.

Panelists highlight that the emergence of menin inhibitors is reshaping the treatment paradigm for KMT2A-rearranged acute myeloid leukemia (AML), with ongoing research focused on optimizing their use, overcoming resistance, expanding access, and integrating these targeted therapies into personalized and potentially curative treatment strategies across diverse patient populations.

Panelists discuss how chronic neuroinflammation involves distinct mechanisms from acute relapses—including microglial activation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and iron deposition—necessitating dual therapeutic approaches that address relapsing and progressive disease components.

Panelists discuss how effective provider-patient communication about weight requires opening conversations with empathy and collaboration, using phrases like "I'm concerned about your weight" and avoiding stigmatizing language while understanding patient motivations and readiness for change.

Panelists discuss how mirdametinib's oral administration offers convenience and improves compliance, especially in pediatric patients, and how its ability to stabilize progressive, symptomatic NF1-associated plexiform neurofibromas without the need for invasive procedures fills a critical gap in treatment options while also addressing potential access barriers related to insurance coverage and cost.

A panelist discusses how a prospective study demonstrated that twice-daily use of a nasal spray significantly improved tear film quality and ocular surface health within days, offering a valuable treatment option for patients with aqueous-deficient dry eye despite no significant changes in tear breakup time.

A panelist discusses how personalized ITP care requires open conversations about testing costs, insurance coverage, and treatment accessibility, with clinicians helping patients navigate financial barriers through pharmaceutical assistance programs and clinical trials.

Panelists discuss how patient financial burden varies significantly by insurance type and often leads to treatment interruptions, while prior authorization barriers create administrative challenges that could be improved through better collaboration between medical and payer communities.

Panelists discuss how healthcare resource utilization is primarily driven by hospitalizations, medication costs, and outpatient monitoring, with early diagnosis and treatment potentially reducing long-term costs by preventing disease progression and avoiding expensive advanced therapies.

Panelists discuss how integrating both intravenous (IV) and subcutaneous (SubQ) therapies in oncology centers requires adaptable staffing, data-driven workflow planning, and thoughtful pilot strategies—combined with strong leadership and patient education—to enhance efficiency, staff engagement, and the overall care experience.

Panelists discuss how emerging, better-tolerated oral therapies for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) could improve patient adherence and simplify treatment regimens, potentially enabling combination approaches that target multiple disease pathways while reducing polypharmacy and health care costs.

Panelists discuss recent trial data demonstrating that a novel agent not only slows lung function decline but also delays oxygen dependency and improves survival in both idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and a broad progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) population, with consistent safety and tolerability supporting its expanding role in fibrotic lung disease management.

Panelists discuss how integrating subcutaneous (SubQ) therapies into oncology practice involves thorough economic evaluation, coordinated team education, patient engagement, and workflow adjustments to ensure financial viability, clinical effectiveness, and enhanced patient satisfaction.

A panelist discusses the evolving role of prophylactic tocilizumab in reducing cytokine release syndrome during bispecific antibody therapy, enabling outpatient treatment and improving patient experience, while highlighting the importance of timing and sequencing T-cell–targeting therapies to optimize efficacy and immune recovery in multiple myeloma management.

A panelist discusses how the highest unmet needs in acute myeloid leukemia include treatments for patients with refractory and relapsed disease, addressing poor outcomes in patients with TP53 mutations and MECOM rearrangements, while emerging trends focus on combination therapies (doublets, triplets, quadruplets), the shift toward more convenient oral therapies, increased emphasis on minimal residual disease negativity as an end point, and expanded transplant eligibility for older patients aged into their mid to late 70s.

Panelists discuss how intrathecal delivery of onasemnogene abeparvovec in the STEER study demonstrates statistically significant motor function improvements in older patients with SMA (ages 2-18 years) with favorable safety profiles, potentially expanding gene therapy access beyond the current age restriction of under 2 years.

Panelists discuss how gaps in SMA care persist despite highly effective treatments, particularly regarding racial and ethnic disparities in research participation and global access challenges due to high costs and infrastructure limitations in developing countries.

Panelists discuss how supporting primary care providers requires moving beyond passive quality measures to peer-to-peer education, transparent performance feedback, multidisciplinary team resources, and creative care delivery models that address the "27-hour day" problem.

Panelists discuss how robust clinical evidence from major studies like the EPIC and OPERA trials demonstrates that progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) is the primary driver of confirmed disability progression in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), with clinical parameters over 3 to 6 months being the most meaningful measures of treatment impact.

Panelists emphasize that the approval of menin inhibitors has transformed the treatment landscape for KMT2A-rearranged acute myeloid leukemia (AML) by replacing historically limited and toxic chemotherapy-based strategies with a targeted, guideline-endorsed option that aligns with disease biology—offering renewed hope for both adult and pediatric patients, especially in the relapsed/refractory setting.

Panelists discuss how autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) deferral should be approached cautiously with concrete medical reasons, as transplant continues to provide superior progression-free survival and potentially curative outcomes for a subset of patients.

Panelists report that the AUGMENT-101 trial demonstrated meaningful clinical benefits of menin inhibitors in relapsed/refractory KMT2A-rearranged acute myeloid leukemia (AML)—with a 23% complete remission rate and manageable safety profile including differentiation syndrome—highlighting the importance of early recognition, patient education, and supportive care to optimize outcomes as these agents move toward becoming a new standard of care.

Panelists discuss how UPMC's integrated delivery and financing system enables coordinated care through e-consults, proactive outreach to primary care physicians, case management, telemedicine, and streamlined referral processes that reduce friction for patients and providers.

Panelists discuss how maintenance therapy should be tailored based on risk profiles, with standard-risk patients receiving single-agent lenalidomide while high-risk patients may benefit from combination maintenance strategies to achieve more durable responses.

Panelists discuss the promising results of the ReNeu trial for mirdametinib, highlighting its significant tumor shrinkage and improvements in quality of life for patients with NF1-associated plexiform neurofibromas, and how mirdametinib’s favorable adverse effect profile and effectiveness in complex or refractory cases may provide a valuable treatment option in real-world clinical practice.

A panelist discusses how personalized ITP care requires open conversations about testing costs, insurance coverage, and treatment accessibility, with clinicians helping patients navigate financial barriers through pharmaceutical assistance programs and clinical trials.

Panelists discuss how progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) represents a distinct pathological process involving smoldering inflammation and neurodegeneration that drives disability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly manifesting around midlife despite being present from disease onset.

A panelist discusses how the COAT trial showed that switching patients with uncontrolled dry eye disease on cyclosporine 0.05% to the 0.09% solution led to significant improvements in corneal staining and symptoms by week 4, offering earlier relief than typically expected and supporting informed patient counseling.