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RECENT UPDATES & APPROVALS

Drugs


A carefully crafted resource to ensure that oncology professionals stay up-to-date with the most recent drug updates and FDA approvals. Here, you'll discover a collection of vital information, enabling you to make well-informed choices and provide advanced care to your patients. Keep up with the ever-changing world of oncology treatments with our extensive updates, guaranteeing that your practice stays at the forefront.


Drug Updates

To view current and resolved drug shortages and discontinuations reported to the FDA, click here.

  • Geron's RYTELO™ (imetelstat) Received Permanent J-Code (Effective Janaury 1, 2025)

We are pleased to share the permanent J-code for RYTELO™ (imetelstat). For dates of service on or after January 1, 2025, use J-code J0870 when submitting claims for RYTELO. The permanent J-code enables providers and office staff to code with specificity, for claims processing purposes, after RYTELO is administered to a patient.1

Permanent J-Code

Description

Sites of Care

J0870

Injection, imetelstat, 1 mg

All

 

10-digit NDC2

11-digit NDC

Vial Size

Billing Units

82959-112-01

82959-0112-01

One RYTELO 47 mg

single-dose vial

47

82959-111-01

82959-0111-01

One RYTELO 188

mg single-dose vial

188

Please consider updating your billing software to reflect the permanent J-code J0870, units: 1 unit per 1 mg, and expected reimbursement for use on or after January 1. 2025.

Click here to learn more about RYTELO.

Please see full Prescribing Information, including Medication Guide.

  • AstraZeneca's TRUQAP Blister Pack Launch

AstraZeneca is thrilled to share late-breaking news regarding the availability of TRUQAP. The AstraZeneca Trade Ops team has been hard at work and is happy to report that TRUQAP blister packs are available for ordering from the Big 3 Specialty Distributors starting Monday, October 28.

  1. MCKESSON – Product is available to customers. Should a customer not see the product visible in the ordering system, please ask that they call their purchasing contact at McKesson.
  2. CENCORA – Product is available to customers via their portal.
  3. CARDINAL – Product is available to customers via their portal.

Pharmaceutical Buyer Letter

Notice To 340 B Covered Entities Regarding Truqap 

Blister Pack Leave Behind

  • NTAP Now Available for Johnson & Johnson's TALVEY® (talquetamab-tgvs)

Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc. submitted an application to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for a New Technology Add-On Payment (NTAP) for TALVEY® for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2025. On August 1, 2024, CMS approved 5 NTAP applications for technologies, including the application for TALVEY®, in the Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule.

Effective October 1, 2024, TALVEY® is eligible for a New Technology Add-On Payment (NTAP).

For more details related to the NTAP now available for TALVEY®, please click here.  

FDA Approvals

  • November 21, 2024 9:54 AM | Katy Monaco

    FDA accelerated approval of Ziihera® (zanidatamab-hrii) 50mg/mL for injection for intravenous use for the treatment of adults with previously treated, unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive (IHC 3+) biliary tract cancer (BTC), as detected by an FDA-approved test.1 Ziihera was approved under accelerated approval based on a 52% objective response rate (ORR) and a median duration of response (DOR) of 14.9 months as determined by independent central review (ICR). Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial.1 The Phase 3 HERIZON-BTC-302 confirmatory trial is ongoing to evaluate zanidatamab in combination with standard-of-care therapy versus standard-of-care therapy alone in the first-line setting for patients with HER2-positive BTC. Read More.

  • November 15, 2024 9:53 AM | Katy Monaco

    FDA has approved Revuforj® (revumenib) as the first and only menin inhibitor for the treatment of relapsed or refractory (R/R) acute leukemia with a lysine methyltransferase 2A gene (KMT2A) translocation in adult and pediatric patients one year and older. The FDA previously granted Breakthrough Therapy and Fast Track designations as well as Priority Review for Revuforj. The New Drug Application (NDA) received approval through the FDA's Real Time Oncology Review (RTOR) program. Read More.

  • November 12, 2024 8:23 AM | Katy Monaco

    Food and Drug Administration approved obecabtagene autoleucel (Aucatzyl, Autolus Inc.), a CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapy, for adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

    Full prescribing information for Aucatzyl will be posted on Drugs@FDA

    Read More

  • November 01, 2024 8:55 AM | Katy Monaco

    Novartis is pleased to announce FDA approval of SCEMBLIX for adults with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome–positive chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (Ph+ CML-CP).

    FDA approval was based on results from ASC4FIRST, a multicenter, randomized, active-controlled, open-label study that evaluated SCEMBLIX vs investigator-selected tyrosine kinase inhibitors (IS-TKIs) (bosutinib, dasatinib, imatinib, nilotinib) in adult patients with newly diagnosed Ph+ CML-CP.

    Read More.

  • October 21, 2024 10:06 AM | Katy Monaco

    FDA approved zolbetuximab-clzb (Vyloy, Astellas Pharma US, Inc.), a claudin 18.2 (CLDN18.2)-directed cytolytic antibody, with fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy, for the first-line treatment of adults with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma whose tumors are CLDN18.2 positive, as determined by an FDA-approved test.

    Today, FDA also approved the VENTANA CLDN18 (43-14A) RxDx Assay (Ventana Medical Systems, Inc./Roche Diagnostics) as a companion diagnostic device to identify patients with gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma who may be eligible for treatment with zolbetuximab.

    Full prescribing information for Vyloy will be posted on Drugs@FDA.

    Read More

  • October 16, 2024 10:38 AM | Katy Monaco

    FDA has approved Optune Lua® for concurrent use with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors or docetaxel, for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) who have progressed on or after a platinum-based regimen. Read More.

  • October 14, 2024 8:33 AM | Katy Monaco

    FDA has approved HYMPAVZI™ (marstacimab-hncq) for routine prophylaxis to prevent or reduce the frequency of bleeding episodes in adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older with hemophilia A (congenital factor VIII deficiency) without factor VIII (FVIII) inhibitors, or hemophilia B (congenital factor IX deficiency) without factor IX (FIX) inhibitors.

    HYMPAVZI is the first and only anti-tissue factor pathway inhibitor (anti-TFPI) approved in the U.S. for the treatment of hemophilia A or B and the first hemophilia medicine approved in the U.S. to be administered via a pre-filled, auto-injector pen. HYMPAVZI can offer a subcutaneous treatment option with a once-weekly dosing schedule and minimal preparation required for each individual administration.

    Read More.


  • October 11, 2024 8:35 AM | Katy Monaco

    FDA approved ItovebiTM (inavolisib), in combination with palbociclib (Ibrance®) and fulvestrant, for the treatment of adults with endocrine-resistant, PIK3CA-mutated, hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer, as detected by an FDA-approved test, following recurrence on or after completing adjuvant endocrine therapy. The PIK3CA mutation is found in approximately 40% of HR-positive metastatic breast cancers. Read More

  • October 04, 2024 10:09 AM | Katy Monaco

    Food and Drug Administration approved nivolumab (Opdivo, Bristol Myers Squibb Company) with platinum-doublet chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment, followed by single-agent nivolumab after surgery as adjuvant treatment, for adults with resectable (tumors ≥ 4 cm and/or node positive) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and no known epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements. 

    Full prescribing information for Opdivo will be posted on Drugs@FDA

    Read More.

  • September 30, 2024 8:32 AM | Katy Monaco

    AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso (osimertinib)​ has been approved in the US for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable, Stage III epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated (EGFRm) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease has not progressed during or following concurrent or sequential platinum-based chemoradiation therapy (CRT). Tagrisso is indicated for patients with exon 19 deletions or exon 21 (L858R) mutations, as detected by a FDA-approved test.

    The approval follows a Priority Review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that was based on results from the LAURA Phase III trial, which were presented during the Plenary Session at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine

    Read More


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