Aloxi (Palonosetron)

A new paper by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) looks at the cost-effectiveness versus affordability issue of obesity medications such as Wegovy and Zepbound.

In this week's episode of Tuning Into The C-Suite podcast, MHE's Briana Contreras chatted with David Calabrese, R.Ph, MHP, who is senior vice president and chief pharmacy officer of pharmacy care services company, OptumRx. David is also a member of Managed Healthcare Executives’ Editorial Advisory Board. During the discussion, he shared the OptumRx Quarter 2 Drug Pipeline Insights Report of 2020. Some of the information shared includes the three notable drugs currently being reviewed or those that have been recently approved by the FDA. Also discussed were any interesting industry trends to watch for.

Bkemv is being offered at 10% off Soliris, and Epysqli is offered at 30% below Soliris. Both biosimilars treat several of the same rare immune diseases as Soliris.

Uplizna is the first approved treatment for immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD), a chronic inflammatory condition that can affect multiple organs. It has a price of $140,248.50 per dose.

Vanrafia reduces proteinuria in adults with primary immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN). It has a wholesale acquisition cost of $162,500 annually.

The fourth pair of denosumab biosimilars, Conexxence and Bomyntra, are expected to launch in the United States in mid 2025, as a result of a global settlement with Amgen, according to a company news release.