With Summer Winding Down, Impactful Meetings in Oncology Pharmacy Remain on the Horizon

With August upon us, it is hard not to notice that summer is largely over, with meetings such as June’s inaugural 2023 Pharmacy Times Continuing Education Oncology Pharmacists Connect conference in Austin, Texas, and July’s 2023 Advanced Topics for Oncology Pharmacy Professionals (ATOPP) Summit in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the rearview mirror. There remain a couple of months for reflection on the conversations and education from these events before October kicks off with further opportunities for growth in the oncology pharmacy field, such as the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) 40th National Oncology Conference in Austin from October 4 to 6, 2023, and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2023 in Madrid, Spain, from October 20 to 24, 2023. We will be covering these conferences online and in upcoming issues of Pharmacy Times Oncology Edition.

Mother - stock.adobe.com

In this issue, for the cover story on page 24, authors Amir Ali, PharmD, BCOP; Elham Mowlavi, PharmD candidate; Arghavan Zolfaghari, PharmD candidate; and Jose Tinajero, PharmD, discuss a novel combination targeting BCR::ABL1 in Philadelphia chromosome–positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) using tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and a STAMP inhibitor, which was very well tolerated by patients in a recent study. These findings were significant because, despite the development of TKIs and significant advancements in the treatment of Ph+ ALL, relapse can occur, often due to BCR::ABL1 mutations.

On page 31, authors Jeremiah Moore, PharmD, BCOP; and Julia Fadul, PharmD, address the expansion of novel treatment options for the treatment of relapsed/refractory (R/R) follicular lymphoma (FL). Specifically, the FDA approval of mosunetuzumab (Lunsumio; Genentech) for adult patients with R/R FL after 2 or more prior systemic therapies has provided a novel option with a favorable adverse effect profile and excellent response rate.

Conference coverage in this issue begins with Pharmacy Times Continuing Education Oncology Pharmacists Connect on page 39, looking at how the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma with immune checkpoint inhibitors has evolved. Then, on page 42, we look at how the X-7/7 trial (abstract 1007) from the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting may change prescribing practices in metastatic breast cancer. The conference coverage then moves on to the 2023 ATOPP Summit, highlighting sessions covering diversity, equity, and inclusion in cancer trials on page 45 and updates on legislation efforts focused on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the Enhancing Oncology Model, and pharmacy benefit manager reform on page 47.

After summer officially ends and fall colors begin to dot the landscape, Pharmacy Times Oncology Edition will be on-site in Austin, Texas, for the ACCC National Oncology Conference and in Madrid for the ESMO Congress 2023. We hope to see you there.