Barriers to Accessing TKIs in CML

EP: 1.NCCN Guidelines and Early Response Monitoring in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

EP: 2.Shifting Therapeutic Urgency and TKI Strategy

EP: 3.Leveraging Trial Data to Guide Frontline TKI Use

EP: 4.Milestones That Matter: Using Molecular and Clinical Benchmarks to Guide CML Therapy

EP: 5.Reconsidering Later-Line Therapies in CML Management

EP: 6.The Pharmacist’s Role in Navigating Toxicity With TKIs

EP: 7.Expanding Pharmacist Roles in CML Care

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EP: 8.Barriers to Accessing TKIs in CML

Barriers to Accessing TKIs in CML Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) represent an exciting advancement in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treatment, offering patients convenient oral therapy options as frontline treatment. However, accessing these medications involves navigating a complex process that begins with prescription submission and insurance coverage verification, assuming patients have insurance coverage at all. Once coverage is obtained, health care providers must determine patient costs and explore affordability options, creating multiple potential points of difficulty in the treatment journey.
The most significant barriers to TKI access are financial in nature, including insurance limitations, lack of coverage, and rising drug costs that are particularly high for newer cancer medications. Prior authorizations and insurance restrictions can limit treatment options, sometimes dictating which drugs providers can prescribe rather than allowing for optimal clinical decision-making. Insured patients often face limitations such as preferred drug formularies, while uninsured patients may qualify for assistance programs that can still be challenging to navigate successfully.
Beyond financial obstacles, patients encounter additional social and logistical barriers that can impede treatment access. Transportation difficulties and housing instability can prevent patients from physically obtaining their medications, while limited social support, caregiver assistance, and health literacy create ongoing challenges. Health literacy proves particularly crucial since specialty oncology medications often
require patients to actively request refills rather than relying on automatic pharmacy renewals. These multifaceted barriers highlight the complex landscape patients must navigate to access lifesaving TKI therapy, emphasizing the important role pharmacists can play in helping patients overcome these obstacles and maintain consistent treatment access.