Oncology

Momelotinib — now with the brand name Ojjaara — is the first treatment for myelofibrosis patients with anemia. It has a list price of $26,900 for a bottle of 30 tablets.

The date has been extended by three months to Feb. 24, 2024, because of resource constraints at the regulatory agency.

In clinical trials, Aphexda plus filgrastim enabled a majority of patients to achieve the collection goal to enable stem cell transplantation for patients with multiple myeloma. It will have a list price 5,900 per vial, with most patients needing two vials for treatment.

In a 10-year, follow-up study in patients vaccinated with Gardasil 9, no cases of HPV-related cancers or genital warts were seen.

In head-to-head study, Reblozyl nearly doubled the percent of patients achieving primary endpoint of concurrent transfusion independence and hemoglobin increase vs. epoetin alfa.

The FDA granted accelerated approval to Balversa in 2019. Patients who received Balversa in Janssen’s confirmatory study achieved a median overall survival of more than one year. It reduced the risk of death by 36%.

If approved, Xtandi would be the first hormonal therapy for non-metastatic patients with increasing PSA levels. The FDA has assigned an action date in the quarter of 2023.

The FDA set an action date of June 16, 2024, for imetelstat to treat transfusion-dependent anemia in myelodysplastic syndromes. Regulators said they plan to hold an advisory committee meeting as part of their review.

Tibsovo is currently approved in the United States as a monotherapy to treat adults with IDH1-mutant relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia.

Elrexfio is a bispecific antibody to treat relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. It will be available within the next few weeks and have a monthly list price of $41,500.

The combination of niraparib and abiraterone in a single tablet — now with the name Akeega — will be available in mid-September and have a list price of $18,750 for a 30-day supply.

Talvey is a first-in-class bispecific antibody to treat adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. It will available in a few weeks and have a price of $45,000 per month.

Avasopasem was under review to treat radiotherapy-induced severe oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer. The FDA has indicted that an additional trial would be needed to show safety and effectiveness of avasopasem.

This abstract at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO 2023) looked at the growing utilization of trastuzumab biosimilars over time in India.

Trial results showed that the combination of Lonsurf and bevacizumab provided improvements in overall survival.

Jemperli is the first immuno-oncology treatment approved in the frontline setting for patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer.

Vanflyta is the first FLT3 inhibitor approved to treat patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia across three phases of treatment. It has a list price of $199,290 annually.

Zolbetuximab is a first-in-class therapy for advanced gastric and gastroesophageal cancers. The target action date is Jan. 12, 2024.

Blincyto is immuno-oncology therapy that targets CD19 surface antigens on B cells to treat patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Its current wholesale acquisition cost price is $4,900.15 per vial.

Imetelstat targets telomerase to inhibit uncontrolled proliferation of malignant stem and progenitor cells in myeloid hematologic malignancies.

Columvi will cost about $350,000 for a fixed duration therapy with 12 treatments over eight and a half months.

More than 90% of cancer centers have experienced shortages of critical drugs. Erin R. Fox, Pharm.D., University of Utah Health, talks about why these shortages are happening and efforts that are being made to address them.

The median annual cost for new oncology medicines launched in 2022 was $260,000, up from $63,534 10 years ago, an IQVIA report finds.

The FDA has assigned an action date of Sept. 23, 2023. If approved, this would be the first frontline treatment advancement in decades for patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer.

The combination of Lynparza and abiraterone reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 76% vs. abiraterone alone in patients with BRCA-mutated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Medicare Advantage plans have been associated with increased screening rates. But managed care tactics and narrow networks may be a disadvantage for people needing care.

Out-of-pockets costs were higher among those using branded or more recently launched drugs.

Zynyx will be priced comparable to other PD-1 inhibitors currently available to treat metastatic or recurrent locally advanced Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare skin cancer.

Illuccix is for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positive lesions in men with prostate cancer.

Other news includes the launches of the first generic of an ulcer drug, the antipsychotic lurasidone, an extended-release version of topiramate for migraine, and additional strengths of the cancer drug lenalidomide. Additionally, Glenmark will distribute Cediprof's generic Adderall, and the FDA has accepted Amneal’s application for a generic naloxone nasal spray.