Industry News

  • Registration Open: Jakafi (ruxolitinib) Product Theater

    Intervening With Jakafi® (ruxolitinib) to Achieve Durable Count Control: Real-World Patient Case Discussion 

    incyte-logoJakafi® (ruxolitinib) is indicated for the treatment of patients with polycythemia vera who have had an inadequate response to—or are intolerant of—hydroxyurea; patients with intermediate or high-risk myelofibrosis (MF), including primary MF, post-polycythemia vera MF, and post-essential thrombocythemia MF; and for the  treatment of steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease in adult and pediatric patients 12 years and older.

    Join a one-hour live presentation—sponsored by Incyte Corporation—to learn more about the use of Jakafi® (ruxolitinib) in treating your patients. 

    Monday, November 30
    12:00 - 1:00 PM EST

    Presented by:
    Solomon Hamburg, MD, PhD
    Clinical Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine
    UCLA Beverly Hills Hematology Oncology
    REGISTER

    Monday, November 30
    3:00 - 4:00 PM EST

    Presented by:
    Jonathan Abbas, MD
    Director, Acute Leukemia Program
    Tennessee Oncology
    REGISTER



  • FDA Accepts for Priority Review Cemiplimab-rwlc for Advanced NSCLC

    On Thursday, October 29, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for priority review the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for PD-1 inhibitor cemiplimab-rwlc (Libtayo®, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) to treat patients with first-line locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with ≥50% PD-L1 expression.

    The target action date for the FDA decision is February 28, 2021.

    Read press release

    Posted on 10/29/2020.



  • FDA Approves Expanded Indication of Pembrolizumab for R/R cHL

    On October 15, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an expanded label for Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) as a monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). Keytruda is the first anti-PD-1 therapy approved for adult patients with relapsed or refractory cHL after frontline therapy.

    Read Merck's press release and the FDA announcement.

    Posted 10/15/2020


  • myBeiGene Patient Support for Zanubrutinib

    Zanubrutinib (Brukinsa™, BeiGene) is a kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of adult patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) who have received at least one prior therapy. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial. For prescribing information click here, or here for the Dosing and Administration Guide. 

    To help guide and assist patients during treatment, Beigene has developed a customized and comprehensive support program. The myBeiGene Patient Support program is staffed with nurses who have prior experience working with oncology patients. Practices and their patients get a dedicated Oncology Nurse Advocate assigned to them, and comprehensive patient support, including connecting patients to helpful resources that can address their personal needs.

    Posted on 10/07/2020



  • Exelixis Access Services® EASE

    Exelixis Access Services® (EASE) provides a variety of support to help your patients get started on cabozantinib (Cabometyx®)as soon as possible. EASE can help meet the unique needs of your patients and practice at each step along the access journey. 

    Posted 10/02/2020



  • Cabozantinib Prescribing Information and Resources

    Exelixis has issued prescribing information for cabozantinib (Cabometyx®), which is indicated for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have been previously treated with sorafenib as well as a series of resources that you can utilize in your practice. 

    Access Prescribing Information and Resources.

    Posted 10/02/2020



  • FDA Approves Nivolumab + Ipilimumab Immunotherapy Treatment for Mesothelioma

    On October 2, 2020 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the combination of Opdivo® (nivolumab) and Yervoy® (ipilimumab) as a first-line treatment for adult patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma.

    Read the FDA Announcement.

    Read the Bristol Myers Squibb Announcement.

    Posted 10/5/2020 



  • FDA Approves Two Liquid Biopsy Companion Diagnostics for Osimertinib

    On August 7, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved FoundationOne® Liquid CDx and Guardant360® CDx as next generation sequencing based liquid biopsy companion diagnostics for osimertinib (Tagrisso®) for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 deletions or exon 21 L858R mutations, as detected by an FDA-approved test; and for patients with metastatic EGFR T790M mutation-positive NSCLC, as detected by an FDA-approved test, whose disease has progressed on or after EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy.


    See full prescribing information.

    About FoundationOne® Liquid CDx.

    About Guardant360® CDx.

    Posted 9/24/2020





  • CMS Releases RO Model Final Rule

    On Friday, September 18, 2020 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final rule for the Radiation Oncology (RO) Model. The RO Model seeks to improve the quality of care for cancer patients receiving radiotherapy (RT) and move toward a simplified and predictable payment system. The RO Model tests whether bundled, prospective, site neutral, modality agnostic, episode-based payments to physician group practices, hospital outpatient departments, and freestanding radiation therapy centers for RT episodes of care reduces Medicare expenditures while preserving or enhancing the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries. The RO Model has a five-year Model performance period that begins on January 1, 2021 and runs through December 31, 2025.

    For additional information on the final rule and the model, please visit the radiation oncology website. The following resource documents about RO may also be helpful: Press ReleaseFact Sheet, and Final Rule. For questions regarding the RO Model, please reach out to the RO Model Helpdesk by phone: 1.844.711.2664, option 5; or email: RadiationTherapy@cms.hhs.gov.

    Posted 9/18/2020



  • Lilly Announces Thyroid Cancer Testing Program

    Lilly announces their Thyroid Cancer Testing Program designed to provide access to molecular testing for appropriate advanced or metastatic medullary thyroid cancer (“MTC”) patients 12 years of age and older who require systemic therapy; and advanced or metastatic non-medullary thyroid cancer (“non-MTC”) patients 12 years of age and older who are radioactive iodine-refractory (if radioactive iodine is appropriate).

    Appropriate patients are eligible for one molecular test at no cost for the purpose of determining whether the patient has any actionable genetic alterations that may inform therapeutic decisions, without regard to purchase of any prescribed drug or any other product.*

    No patient, healthcare program, payer, or beneficiary shall be billed for any test ordered pursuant to the Thyroid Cancer Testing Program.

    Posted 9/16/2020

    To request a test for your patient <and understand further requirements>, you may download the Thyroid Cancer Testing Program Test Request Form.

    The Thyroid Cancer Testing Program is NOT available to New York State patients and facilities as the aforementioned NGS tests have not been approved by the New York State Department of Health.

    Posted 9/16/2020




1801 Research Boulevard Suite 400
Rockville, MD 20850
Tel: 301.984.9496 | Fax: 301.770.1949
vah-o.com
Email Us