BREAKING NEWS

Four Republican Senators Reject GOP Health Care Bill
Legislation lacks sufficient votes for passage
Medicaid Cuts Put Rural Hospitals in the Crosshairs
For facilities serving the uninsured, survival depends on government help
Stem Cells: The Future of Medicine?
Scientists grow mice in a petri dish
FDA Approves Rituxan Hycela for Subcutaneous Injection in Certain Blood Cancers
SC formulation can be administered within five to seven minutes
Kidney Disease Drug Wins Breakthrough Therapy Designation
Kappa opioid receptor agonist treats uremic pruritus during hemodialysis
Senate Republicans Reveal Obamacare Replacement Bill
Aides and lobbyists get first peek at discussion draft
More Than 500,000 Clinicians Will Be Hit With Medicare Penalty This Year
Charges could be as high as $2,000 for those who did not meet PQRS requirements
Reuters Poll: Most Americans Expect GOP Health Care Plan to Be Harmful
Original House bill gets “thumbs down”—critics brace for Senate version
New Phase 3 Data on Shingles Vaccine Shingrix Presented at CDC Advisory Meeting
Immune response is noninferior to that of Zostavax

P&T TV

SIRT for Liver Cancer: Similar Efficacy, Less Toxicity Than Sorafenib

Valérie Vilgrain, MD, of Hôpital Beaujon Service de Radiologie in Paris, describes results of the SARAH trial. Selective internal radiation therapy provided efficacy similar to sorafenib for hepatocellular carcinoma but with considerably fewer adverse events.

European Association for the Study of the Liver International Liver Congress, April 2017

P&T June 2017
Table of Contents

Features

Cancer Immunotherapy, Part 1: Current Strategies and Agents
This article, the first in a series of three, introduces cancer immunology, cancer immunotherapy strategies, and the classes of anticancer therapeutic agents.
Cost-Savings From an Antipsychotic Tablet-Splitting Program
Newer atypical antipsychotics have favorable safety and efficacy profiles, but their use is often limited by high cost. The authors present one institution’s antipsychotic tablet-splitting program that resulted in substantial savings.
Inpatient Antineoplastic Medication Administration And Associated Drug Costs: Institution of a Hospital Policy Limiting Inpatient Administration
The rising cost of cancer treatments has prompted institutions to employ cost-saving, reimbursement-maximizing strategies. After implementing a policy governing inpatient administration of antineoplastic medications, one community teaching hospital successfully decreased the associated drug costs.
Pipeline Plus
Immunotherapies in Late-Stage Development for Patients With Severe SLE and/or Lupus Nephritis
We review the immunomodulatory agents in development for systemic lupus erythematosus, a relatively uncommon disorder affecting women of childbearing age.
Meeting Highlights
EASL International Liver Congress 2017
The latest in hepatology research was presented at this year’s European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) International Liver Congress.
Meeting Highlights
Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy
Highlights of the AMCP Annual Meeting included marketplace trends, the affordability crisis, and the issues facing value-based contracting.

Departments

Medication Errors
Unverified Patient-Reported Errors
Unverified patient-reported errors can have real consequences
Prescription: Washington
Drug Companies Breathe Easier As PDUFA VI Heads for Approval
Drug companies breathe easier as PDUFA VI heads for approval
Drug and Device News June 2017
Approvals, new indications, regulatory activities, and more
Pharmaceutical Approval Update June 2017
Ribociclib (Kisqali) for HR+/HER2− advanced or metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women; safinamide (Xadago) as adjunctive treatment for patients with Parkinson’s disease; and avelumab (Bavencio) for metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma
Drug Forecast
Pimavanserin (Nuplazid)
Pimavanserin (Nuplazid) for the treatment of hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease
Research Briefs June 2017