Hospital

At 30 days following the third dose in the series, the pneumococcal 15-valent conjugate vaccine was non-inferior to the 13-valent vaccine for all 13 shared serotypes.

Pharmacists must remain nimble to help patients continue receiving the medications they need, as technology now plays a central role in workflow and medication management.

Tisagenlecleucel is a CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapy already indicated for B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Between 40% and 50% of patients respond long term without relapsing.

SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing titers against the wild-type strain one month after the booster dose were 3.3 times higher than the titers found one month after the second dose.

Johnson & Johnson previously reported interim results from a phase 1/2a trial demonstrating the antibody responses generated by their vaccine were strong and stable through 8 months following immunization, published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

A final blinded analysis of data from the phase 3 COVE study found 93% efficacy of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, which remained durable through 6 months after the second dose.

With more work and less staff, we need to examine how we can better support pharmacists in the new normal brought on by COVID-19.

As the price tags for therapies coming to market have soared into the hundreds of thousands and even millions on occasion, paying for them has become an ever-greater cause of concern and focus area.

However, according to the investigators, eradicating COVID-19 is considerably less feasible than the elimination of smallpox.

Researchers found that the levels of serum albumin and the number of metastatic sites that patients with lung cancer have were significantly associated with overall survival.

The study, conducted by Augusta University, was among the first to examine factors related to vaccine hesitancy among a large African American community sample, according to the authors.

Active surveillance, intended to avoid unnecessary treatment and the resulting adverse effects, typically involves regular prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screenings, prostate exams, imaging studies, and repeat biopsies to carefully monitor prostate cancer growth or progression without compromising long-term outcomes.

Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare bile duct cancer, with physicians diagnosing approximately 8000 cases each year.

Although not all children are eligible for vaccination, recommendations for schools include masking, testing, and quarantine policies, as well as vaccinations for anyone eligible.

Rivaroxaban is the first and only therapy indicated for both coronary artery disease and peripheral artery disease.

Directions in Oncology Pharmacy is getting to know oncology pharmacy professionals through a series of interviews. In this issue, we talk to Ashley E. Glode, PharmD, BCOP, who was recently named an Advocacy Champion by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Hospitalizations related to C. diff infections can cost more than twice as much as the average hospitalization and can extend patients’ stays by an average of 3.6 days.

This research lays the foundation for future clinical trials aimed at investigating whether moderate to vigorous exercise can minimize “chemo brain,” which is a decline in cognitive function many patients with breast cancer experience.

Rylaze was granted Fast Track Designation by the FDA in October 2019 for acute lymphoblastic leukemia and was approved as part of the Real-Time Oncology Review program.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated pruritus is a systemic itch condition occurring with a high frequency and intensity in patients with CKD undergoing dialysis.

It is the responsibility of the pharmacist to remain informed of all existing and new drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer disease, especially because novel and investigational drugs may target the pathophysiology of the disease.

The first fully approved vaccine for COVID-19 will be marketed under the name Comirnaty.

Prescription labels have a lot of details on them, which can make it difficult for patients to find and use important information.

Median disease-free survival was nearly twice as long among patients with urothelial carcinoma who received nivolumab compared with placebo.

Kristin Ferguson, DNP, RN, OCN, outlined 4 principles for the reimbursement of oncology drugs, diagnostics, and biomarker testing that were recently released by the Association of Community Cancer Centers.

STRO-002 is a folate receptor alpha-targeting antibody drug conjugate for the treatment of patients with platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who have received 1 to 3 prior lines of systemic therapy.

The agents that have been evaluated and approved, and those that are coming in the pipeline, make for an exciting time to consider directed therapies.

This week’s recommendation by the Biden administration for booster shots to combat COVID-19 is a call to action for pharmacists to get ready for the upcoming flurry of activity.

The study results indicated a nearly 9-fold increase in likelihood of survival without ventilation (SWOV) among this population, compared to a 2.5-fold increased likelihood of SWOV in the overall population.