Antihypertensives demonstrate benefit in reducing Alzheimer's disease risk

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

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.

Vykat XR will be available in April to treat the intense hunger that is a hallmark of the rare genetic disease Prader-Willi syndrome. The price is based on a patient’s weight, and the average patient in the clinical trials would have had an average annual cost of $466,200 for the first year.

Blujepa is the first in a new class of oral antibiotics in 30 years. It is expected to launch in the second half of 2025 in the United States.

Neuroendocrine tumors that start in the pancreas tend to be more aggressive and have a poor prognosis.

Wegovy is also available through NovoCare Pharmacy, which directly ship all dose strengths at a cost of $499 per month for cash-paying patients.