Drug development gets budgetary boost as regulatory updates start to emerge

Imuldose will be marketed in the United States by Accord BioPharma and is expected to launch in the first half of 2025.

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.

Itovebi is approved to treat patients with PIK3CA-mutated HR-positive, HER2 negative metastatic breast cancer in combination with Ibrance and fulvestrant. It will have a cost of $22,867 for a 28-day cycle.

PBMs are putting weight loss drugs, including Wegovy and Zepbound, on their national formularies, but coverage by plans is uneven. What is needed is more data about whether these drugs can lower overall healthcare costs.

The IQVIA analysis finds that the impact of drug price negotiation on patients’ out-of-pocket spending could also be smaller than expected.

If approved, elinzanetant would be another non-hormonal option for menopausal women seeking hot flash relief.