Oncology Pharmacists Connect Meeting Promises Focus on Changing Treatment Paradigms, Implementation Challenges for Pharmacists

Pharmacy Times spoke with Oncology Pharmacists Connect Program Chair Ryan Haumschild, PharmD, MS, MBA, about the upcoming conference, key topics, and what attendees can look forward to. The meeting is taking place June 15-17 in Austin, Texas.

Q: Can you give an overview of what the Oncology Pharmacists Connect meeting will provide?

Ryan Haumschild, PharmD, MS, MBA: Yeah, I'm really excited about this meeting. I think it's going to offer a lot to pharmacists, but really to health care practitioners in general. Some of the key highlights is really, number 1, bringing together a lot of colleagues, leading oncology pharmacy practitioners, from across the country to learn about the latest developments. We're going to really focus in on a lot of the post-ASCO data that I think is going to be so timely and relevant to the treatment of our patients, and also upcoming new medication approvals. We're also going to be focused on unique disease states; I’m thinking of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, like multiple myeloma, [which is] the one that I'm actually getting the lead personally. And so, I think it's a great opportunity to share ideas, talk about best practices, and now more than ever, before pharmacists are really at the forefront of a lot of these treatment decisions. And so having an opportunity to bring us together centered around solid clinical data, I think it's going to be very exciting.

Q: Recent evidence in multiple disease states has had major impacts on treatment paradigms. What are some challenges with implementation and how is the meeting helping pharmacists tackle those issues?

Ryan Haumschild, PharmD, MS, MBA: Definitely. You know, with the exciting new therapeutics, I think there's also exciting new challenges that we're able to overcome. Do you like what I did there? I put it as an exciting opportunity. Because I think ultimately, our job is to review the data, really understand it well, and how do we differentiate between therapies? How do we go about sequencing some of these new therapeutics? We're thinking about cost effectiveness and clinical efficacy. And I think at the end of the day, how also do we operationalize these therapies to provide a cost-effective model of care, such as a bispecifics or cellular therapy, or even a high-cost monoclonal antibody? How do we make sure that we're utilizing it appropriately within our institutions, while still providing great safety and efficacy to our patients? And I think that's the challenge. And that's why we're excited to come together and learn best practices from each other.

Q: Are there any specific sessions or events you’re looking forward to?

Ryan Haumschild, PharmD, MS, MBA: Yeah, I mean, number 1, I'm really looking forward to getting together with all my colleagues. I mean, across the country, we've got some of the leading practitioners representing some of the most established cancer centers. And so, every time I get together with my colleagues, I learn something. So that's 100% the case. I think, number 2, there's a ton of sessions really related to pertinent topics and abstracts from these leading conferences like ASCO, I'm looking together to learn more about breast oncology. I think there's a lot going on with the HER2-negative space, and how do we have a HER2-low treatment algorithm, especially as we start to see more HR-positive, HER2-negative treatments coming out. And I think lastly, together, it's always good to see your pharmacy colleagues that have now transitioned to industry, connect with them, learn the latest that's going on, and just really have that opportunity to share best practices with those that we really trust, and we look to within the space.

Q: What are the key disease states or topics at the meeting?

Ryan Haumschild, PharmD, MS, MBA: You know, we're going to be touching on a lot at this meeting. And that's why I'm probably so excited to share it. So first, starting out with a lot of updates around non-small cell lung cancer, we know that aerodigestive in lung is a huge area of focus, especially with some of the EGFR and small molecule targeted agents. Then, you know, hearing more about melanoma and skin and what are the different therapeutic innovations that are occurring there. And then transitioning into, in my opinion, what I call kind of the hematologic strains, which is lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma. [There’s] so much going on there from, you know, T-cell engagers to bispecific treatments. And then we’ll really finish it up with, really, the areas I'm passionate about, which is breast cancer and then prostate cancer, where there's a high unmet need, and a lot of innovation around social determinants of health provided to our patients. So those are the ones that I'm looking forward to, in addition to a lot of the roundtables that will be offered throughout the conference.

Click here to view the full agenda.

Q: Is there anything you’d like to add?

Ryan Haumschild, PharmD, MS, MBA: I just think this Oncologists Pharmacists Connect [conference] is such a unique opportunity to bring together so many leading practitioners. I know it's an exciting time for us to network with our colleagues who have gone to industry, and I think it's great that it's been, you know, really sponsored by Pharmacy Times Continuing Education and [the] Hematology Oncology Pharmacy Association. I think when you bring those 2 together, it's going to create a great recipe for success and I'm looking forward to the conference this year, and how we can keep building upon it for years to come.

Click here for registration information.