Key Economic Considerations in IgA Nephropathy: Progression to Chronic Kidney Disease
June 9th 2025Panelists discuss how economic considerations in immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy medication management vary dramatically across chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages, with early intervention costs being modest but potentially cost-saving compared with the extraordinary expenses of advanced disease management and renal replacement therapy.
Looking Ahead: The Next Frontier in ALK+ NSCLC Therapy
Panelists discuss how promising ongoing and upcoming clinical trials may reshape sequencing strategies in ALK+ non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Key Managed Care Considerations for IgA Nephropathy Treatment
June 9th 2025Panelists discuss how immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy’s progressive nature and significant economic impact demand a shift in payer perspective toward investing in disease-modifying therapies that, despite higher upfront costs, can prevent the extraordinary expenses of dialysis and transplantation while preserving patients’ quality of life and productivity.
Education and Support After Progression ALK Inhibitors
Panelists discuss how to approach patient education after progression on an ALK inhibitor, address real-world challenges during therapy transitions, and determine best options for patients progressing on lorlatinib.
Importance of Clinical Trials and Guideline Recommendations
Panelists discuss how ADA recommendations emphasize treating diabetes as part of overlapping conditions requiring cardiovascular and kidney protection, moving beyond just glycemic control to comprehensive care that addresses the whole person.
Hormonal Adaptations in Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity
Panelists discuss how hormonal adaptations during weight loss in diabetes patients improve insulin sensitivity, while the DiRECT trial demonstrates that structured weight management programs can achieve diabetes remission in nearly half of newly diagnosed patients.
Risk Stratification and the Importance of Patient-Centered Care
Panelists discuss how disease progression monitoring requires integrating multiple data points including symptoms, six-minute walk tests, biomarkers like BNP/NT-proBNP, and imaging studies, with risk stratification tools helping guide treatment decisions while considering individual patient characteristics.
Importance of Early Detection and Monitoring for Disease Progression
Panelists discuss how early detection barriers include nonspecific symptoms like progressive dyspnea that are often misattributed to more common conditions, leading to delayed diagnosis and the need for improved diagnostic algorithms using biomarkers and imaging.
Examining Combination Therapy In NF1-PN
Panelists discuss the exploration of combination therapies in treating complex or refractory NF1-associated plexiform neurofibromas, including MEK inhibitors combined with PI3K inhibitors, anti-angiogenic agents, and chemotherapies, and review early clinical findings suggesting potential synergistic effects, while highlighting concerns about toxicity and the need for careful patient monitoring.
Diagnostic and Patient Education Strategies in ITP
June 6th 2025A panelist discusses how ITP diagnosis remains one of exclusion requiring thorough testing to rule out other causes of thrombocytopenia, followed by patient education about autoimmune diseases and bleeding symptoms like nosebleeds, bruising, and petechiae.
Selumetinib as a Therapeutic Option for NF1-PN
Panelists discuss key findings supporting the use of MEK inhibitors, such as selumetinib, in treating NF1-associated plexiform neurofibromas, emphasizing its impact on clinical decision-making, particularly for pediatric patients with progressive, symptomatic tumors who are not surgical candidates, and review current guidelines recommending its use to control tumor growth and improve quality of life.
Key Clinical Considerations for the Management of SMA
June 5th 2025Panelists discuss how disease progression despite treatment in older patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) may be due to natural aging effects combined with SMA, not necessarily treatment failure, highlighting the importance of exercise, nutrition, and management of contractures.
Optimizing the Implementation of Biosimilars Into Formularies
June 5th 2025Panelists discuss how health systems can learn from published case examples when implementing biosimilars, noting that biosimilars can create a “win-win” situation where patients see lower costs, payers see lower charges, and providers may experience better margins.
Examining the Role of Interchangeability in Clinical Practice
June 5th 2025Panelists discuss how implementing interchangeable biosimilars requires effective communication with providers and patients, emphasizing that educating stakeholders before making changes is essential for successful adoption despite the legal permissions afforded by interchangeability designation.
Splicing Modifiers and Gene Therapy for SMA
June 5th 2025Panelists discuss how splice modifiers work by enhancing protein production from the SMN2 gene, with risdiplam (Evrysdi) being an oral daily medication and nusinersen (Spinraza) being administered intrathecally quarterly, both showing similar safety and efficacy profiles.
Leveraging the Multidisciplinary Team to Overcoming Diagnosing IPF or PPF
Panelists discuss how progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), though distinct in etiology, share a common trajectory of irreversible lung scarring and functional decline—highlighting the importance of recognizing progressive phenotypes across interstitial lung diseases to guide timely diagnosis, personalized treatment, and improved patient outcomes.
Novel Treatment Options for Bronchiectasis
Panelists discuss how emerging DPP1 inhibitor therapies target neutrophil serine proteases to reduce neutrophilic inflammation and neutrophil extracellular trap formation in bronchiectasis.
Diagnostic Dilemmas: Barriers to Timely Detection of IPF and PPF
Panelists discuss how progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), though distinct in etiology, share a common trajectory of irreversible lung scarring and functional decline—highlighting the importance of recognizing progressive phenotypes across interstitial lung diseases to guide timely diagnosis, personalized treatment, and improved patient outcomes.
The Effects of the Heterogeneity of Bronchiectasis
Panelists discuss how surgical approaches for bronchiectasis have evolved from open thoracotomy to minimally invasive techniques (VATS or robotic assisted), reducing hospital stays from 5 to 7 days to 1 to 3 days and recovery time from 6 to 8 weeks to 2 to 6 weeks.
Balancing Clinical Benefits and Costs of BTK Inhibitors
June 3rd 2025Panelists discuss how to balance the clinical benefits of Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor therapies with their associated costs when making treatment decisions for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), considering both patient outcomes and financial constraints.
Impact of Access Challenges on Patient Outcomes in CLL and MCL Care
June 3rd 2025Panelists discuss the primary access challenges in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) treatment, including financial barriers and health care system limitations, and how these obstacles impact patient outcomes and treatment efficacy.
Next Steps: Post-Frontline Therapies and Resistance in ALK+ NSCLC
Panelists discuss how alectinib use in the adjuvant setting might shift sequencing strategies in metastatic ALK+ non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and how resistance mutations influence post-frontline therapy selection.
Future Possibilities for Step Therapy in IgA Nephropathy Treatment
June 2nd 2025Panelists discuss how step-therapy for immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy is evolving toward a more personalized approach, starting with optimized supportive care before progressing to targeted therapies based on risk stratification, disease characteristics, and biomarker profiles.
Equitable Access to Molecular Testing and Treatment Prioritization
Panelists discuss how to overcome barriers to comprehensive molecular testing and how to prioritize treatment when ALK+ non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) coexists with other actionable biomarkers.
Patient-Reported Outcomes in the Treatment of IgA Nephropathy
June 2nd 2025Panelists discuss how patient-reported outcomes including symptom burden, treatment-related adverse effects, preserved functionality, and impact on quality of life should be prioritized alongside traditional clinical measures when assessing the value of immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy therapies.
Understanding Immune Thrombocytopenia: Pathophysiology, Classification, and Differentiation
May 30th 2025A panelist discusses how immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is characterized by isolated low platelet counts due to autoimmune destruction, with classification based on duration (acute, extended, or chronic) and severity of thrombocytopenia.
Rationale for MEK Inhibitors and Surgery
Panelists discuss how MEK inhibitors, such as trametinib and selumetinib, are emerging as first-line treatments for symptomatic NF1-associated plexiform neurofibromas, especially in progressive or inoperable cases, while emphasizing the importance of surgical resection, pain management, physical therapy, and psychosocial support for improving quality of life.
Main Goals in the Management of NF1-PN
Panelists discuss the current management goals for NF1-associated plexiform neurofibromas, focusing on tumor control, symptom management, and prevention of malignant transformation, while highlighting the evolving future goals of targeted therapies, personalized treatment plans, and enhanced early detection to improve outcomes.