UTI scripts trend away from drug of choice

Up to half of obstructive sleep apnea patients taking Zepbound had no symptoms after one year of treatment, averaging 25 fewer breathing interruptions per hour.

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.

Tryngolza is once-monthly, subcutaneous RNA-targeted therapy and is expected to be available by the end of the year with a price of $595,000.

The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review assessed the formularies of 11 payers, covering 57 million people, to determine access for drugs that the organization had reviewed in 2022 for cost-effectiveness.

Originally approved in 2009, Stelara patents began expiring in 2023, leading to an influx of recent biosimilars.

The boxed warning follows a safety warning the FDA issued in September about the risk of liver injury from the use of Veozah to treat hot flashes.