Weekend ICYMI: July 29 to August 2

CVS PBM to Pay $45 Million in Rebates to State of Illinois

CVS Pharmacy sign / Eduardo Barraza - stock.adobe.com

In a slew of lawsuits that states around the country have presented to some of the major pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), another settlement has recently been announced between CVS Caremark and Illinois. In a win for Illinois taxpayers and another example of PBM scrutiny, the settlement has forced Caremark to reward Illinois $45 million for the company’s inability to pass manufacturer rebates over a 4-year contract period.

GLP-1 Shows Protection Against Dementia in Phase 2b Trial

The glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1) liraglutide may slow cognitive decline and protect the brain in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease, according to new data presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2024, held July 28 to August 1 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The study was funded by the Alzheimer’s Association’s Part the Cloud program, which provides research grants to investigators that are “addressing known and potential new aspects of the disease.” The program, established in 2012, has so far invested over $82 million to advance 68 different clinical trials.

Pharmacists’ Ability to Close Gap in Delivery of Oral Anticoagulation Therapy

Pharmacists’ ability to administer oral anticoagulation (OAC) therapy highlights a significantly effective opportunity to close gaps in the delivery of prescriptions to treat the reduction of stroke risk in patients with actionable atrial fibrillation. With no increase in adverse events or the use of health care services, the next step in pharmacists’ ability to deliver OAC prescriptions is measuring the scalability and sustainability in future studies, according to authors of a study published in JAMA Network Open.

FDA Grants Accelerated Approval to First Engineered Cell Therapy for Synovial Sarcoma

The FDA has granted accelerated approval to Adaptimmune Therapeutics for afamitresgene autoleucel (afami-cel [Tecelra]), the company announced in a release. The drug is indicated for the treatment of adults with unresectable or metastatic synovial sarcoma who have received prior chemotherapy, are HLA-A*02:01P, -A*02:02P, -A*02:03P, or -A*02:06P positive and whose tumor expresses the MAGE-A4 antigen as determined by FDA-approved or cleared companion diagnostic devices. Afami-cel is the first engineered cell therapy for a solid tumor cancer approved in the US, and the first new treatment for synovial sarcoma in more than 10 years, ending a long-standing therapeutic gap.

Prescribing Newborns Opioids, Methadone Varies Significantly Across Children’s Hospitals

From 2016 to 2022, researchers found a significant number of opioid and methadone prescriptions across 47 individual children’s hospitals. Although opioid prescriptions were more significant than methadone, researchers came to the suggestion that a standardized approach to treating high-risk newborns is necessary for overall health outcomes. “Infants exposed to painful procedures experience acute physiologic responses and increased morbidity, and opioids reduce these poor outcomes. However, extended opioid prescribing after surgery is associated with prolonged ventilation, total parenteral nutrition use, and hospitalization," wrote authors of the study published in JAMA Network Open.

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