Seasonal allergic rhinitis is a disease characterized by sneezing, nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, and itching, conventionally treated with intranasal corticosteroids and antihistamines. The leukotriene receptor antagonist montelukast (Singulair, Merck) recently gained FDA approval for the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis. While studies have shown the efficacy of montelukast in the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis, there are no published clinical efficacy trials to date to support the use of montelukast alone or in combination with antihistamines as a superior therapy to intranasal corticosteroids in the management of seasonal allergic rhinitis. When combined with current economic considerations, the primary role of montelukast appears to be as an adjunct agent in patients whose seasonal allergic rhinitis symptoms cannot be controlled with intranasal corticosteroids or nonsedating antihistamines alone.
David Calabrese of OptumRx Talks Top Three Drugs in Pipeline, Industry Trends in Q2
July 1st 2020In 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.
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