Radar on Specialty Pharmacy

The FDA has approved a handful of drugs to treat atopic dermatitis recently. Among them is LEO Pharma Inc.’s Adbry (tralokinumab-ldrm), an interleukin-13 (IL-13) antagonist. According to a Zitter Insights survey, payers may take a bit of a restrictive approach in managing the drug. And with multiple new biologics approved for the condition and more potential agents coming onto the market, payers may impose more utilization management strategies on the therapeutic class as a whole, say industry experts. 

On Dec. 28, the FDA approved Adbry for the treatment of people at least 18 years old with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis whose disease is not adequately controlled with topical prescription therapies or when those treatments are not advisable. The decision made it the first biologic that LEO Pharma has launched in the U.S. Recommended dosing is an initial dose of 600 mg via four 150 mg subcutaneous injections and then 300 mg every other week.

Social determinants of health (SDOH), which researchers have suggested account for up to 80% of health outcomes, can also complicate medication adherence, which can be particularly challenging for people taking specialty drugs. Specialty pharmacies are uniquely suited to address these issues and provide the support and resources that their patients need to overcome barriers to effective treatment, industry experts tell AIS Health, a division of MMIT.

According to the Healthy People 2030 initiative from HHS’s Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, SDOH “are the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.” These factors can be grouped into five areas:

Feb. 17: The FDA approved Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s Pyrukynd (mitapivat) for the treatment of hemolytic anemia in adults with pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency. It is a first-in-class, oral PK activator and the first FDA-approved disease-modifying therapy for the disease. The agency gave the drug priority review and orphan drug designation. Dosing for the tablet is 5 mg twice daily. Its annual cost is $334,880.

Feb. 21: The FDA gave an additional approval to Foundation Medicine, Inc.’s FoundationOne CDx as a companion diagnostic to identify people with microsatellite instability high status solid tumors who may be candidates for treatment with Merck and Co., Inc.’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab). The company says it is the first FDA-approved diagnostic for this use. The CDx has 26 companion diagnostic claims and two group claims across 27 targeted therapies.