ASCO 2015 Highlights

Chicago, IL—Hospital readmissions in patients with cancer reflect the high burden of this disease, which is often refractory and, therefore, readmission is not reasonably preventable.

Chicago, IL—Oncologists responding to a national electronic survey believe that discussing out-of-pocket (OOP) costs of therapy with patients is important, and that OOP costs and societal cost of therapy will play a larger role in cancer treatment decisions over the next 5 years.

Chicago, IL—Even after adjusted for improved outcomes, newer anticancer drugs are more expensive than older agents, said Rena Conti, PhD, Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Economics, University of Chicago, at the 2014 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting.

The FDA issued an expanded indication for ibrutinib (Imbruvica; Pharmacyclics) for the treatment of patients with CLL who have a deletion in chromosome 17 (17p deletion), which results in poor response to standard CLL therapies.

The FDA approved idelalisib (Zydelig; Gilead Sciences) for the treatment of patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) to be used in combination with rituximab (Rituxan).

The FDA approved belinostat (Beleodaq; Spectrum Pharmaceuticals) for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), a rare and fast-growing type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

Value Propositions from the August 2014 issue of Value-Based Cancer Care.

The 340B Drug Pricing Program was a result of Public Law 102-585, the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992, which was codified as Section 340B of the Public Health Service Act.

Los Angeles, CA—Patient comfort and emotional support are part of the quality components in value-based cancer care.

The cancer drug pipeline continues to boast many new therapies, reinforcing the recent trends of new and improved monoclonal antibodies and other classes of targeted therapies for different types of tumors.