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Updates to Treatment Options During Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is breast cancer awareness month, and as September ended, a new treatment received the FDA’s approval for advanced breast cancer and another was granted priority review for the adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer.
October is breast cancer awareness month, and as September ended, a new treatment received the FDA’s approval for advanced breast cancer and another was granted priority review for the adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer.
On September 28, the FDA approved abemaciclib (Verzenio) for the treatment of adult patients with hormone receptor (HR)—positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer that has progressed on endocrine therapy. A CDK4/6 inhibitor, abemaciclib is currently approved in combination with fulvestrant in patients who have progressed on endocrine therapy. It is also approved to be given alone in combination with endocrine therapy and chemotherapy following metastasis.
Abemaciclib was evaluated in combination with fulvestrant in a randomized trial of 669 patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer that had progressed following treatment with endocrine therapy and who had not received chemotherapy following metastasis. Median progression-free survival was 16.4 months in the abemaciclib plus chemotherapy arm, compared with 9.4 months in patients treated with a placebo and chemotherapy.
Abemaciclib as a stand-alone was evaluated in a single-arm study in 132 patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer that had progressed on endocrine therapy and chemotherapy following metastasis. Nearly 20% of patients on abemaciclib presented with partial or complete shrinkage of their tumors for a median period of 8.6 months.
On September 29, Roche announced that the FDA had accepted a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for pertuzumab (Perjeta) in combination with trastuzumab (Herceptin) and chemotherapy for adjuvant treatment of HER2-positive early breast cancer. While the FDA has already granted an accelerated approval for the combination, the current submission is aimed at converting it to a full approval.
The decision date for the sBLA is January 28, 2018.
Study Finds Obesity May Worsen Multiple Sclerosis: Genetic Analysis Points to Causal Link
November 21st 2024A new study aimed at exploring the relationship between obesity and multiple sclerosis severity using genetic data finds that higher BMI and other obesity measures were associated with increased disability progression in patients with MS.
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Higher Life’s Essential 8 Scores Associated With Reduced COPD Risk
November 21st 2024Higher Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) scores, especially those reflecting lower nicotine exposure and better sleep health, are inversely associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) risk, emphasizing the importance of cardiovascular health (CVH) in disease prevention.
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Exploring Racial, Ethnic Disparities in Cancer Care Prior Authorization Decisions
October 24th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the author of a study published in the October 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® that explored prior authorization decisions in cancer care by race and ethnicity for commercially insured patients.
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Study Highlights Key RA-ILD Risk Factors, Urges Early Screening
November 20th 2024This recent study highlights key risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis–associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD), emphasizing the importance of early screening to improve diagnosis and patient outcomes.
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New Study Finds Risk Groups, Outpatient Care Barriers in Chronic Liver Disease
November 20th 2024Patients with chronic liver disease who were unable to establish care were 85% more likely to require recurrent hospitalizations. This group included a disproportionate number of women and individuals with physical limitations affecting their health.
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