ASCO 2015 Highlights

Tampa, FL—The poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor veliparib demonstrated activity in relapsed and/or refractory BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer, according to the results of a phase 2 clinical trial reported at the 2014 Society of Gynecologic Oncology meeting.

Los Angeles, CA—Worksite pharmacies have unique advantages over local pharmacies in caring for employees with cancer.

Los Angeles, CA—Worksite health centers can improve the quality and effectiveness of cancer treatment for employees while reducing costs for their employers.

Los Angeles, CA—Although targeted drug development and testing are clearly transforming medicine, resistance to greater uptake of personalized medicine includes a shift in the evidence threshold in personalized testing and drawbacks to the delivery system, including the cost of molecular tests, said Peter B. Bach, MD, Director, Center for Health Policy and Outcomes, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, at the Fourth Annual Conference of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care.

Los Angeles, CA—An agenda for personalized medicine must address quality control for test performance, billing and coding for molecular tests, and other practical challenges.

Value Propositions from June 2014.

Palonosetron HCl (Aloxi; Eisai) injection received a new US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indication for the prevention of acute chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) associated with initial or repeated courses of emetogenic chemotherapy in children aged 1 month to

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ramucirumab (Cyramza; Eli Lilly) for the treatment of patients with advanced stomach cancer or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, which mostly affects older adults.

The US Food and Drug Administration approved ofatumumab (Arzerra Injection, GlaxoSmithKline) in combination with chlorambucil, for the treatment of previously untreated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, for whom fludarabine-based therapy is considered inappropriate.

May was a busy month for those who have made a commitment to addressing cost, quality, and value in cancer care. The Association for Value-Based Cancer Care (AVBCC) held its Fourth Annual Conference in Los Angeles, CA.