Institute for Clinical Immuno-Oncology White Paper Highlights the Challenges, Progress, and Priorities in Immunotherapy

The ASCO Post


The white paper, Immuno-Oncology: There’s More to Discover, spotlights top-level concerns for the future of immunotherapy in practice, including the following issues:

• Payer and coverage policies continue to pose barriers to access to immunotherapies for cancer. Thus, providers in the community have an ongoing need for education and strategies to effectively address prior authorization requirements, claims denials, and expanded access to clinical trials.
• Patients are driving discussions about expanded access to immunotherapies. Direct-to-consumer and other media advertising is fueling interest in immunotherapies. At the same time, this consumer interest is requiring ongoing education so that consumers understand the patient populations for whom these therapies are appropriate and to ensure that both providers and patients are equipped to discuss the benefits and risks of a particular immunotherapy.
• Recognition and management of immune-related adverse events continue to create additional expense and resource requirements across the continuum of care. Community providers are likely to see increasing challenges in this area as new indications and new combination therapies are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Education on how to leverage operational assets and marshal resources to adequately recognize and manage immune-related adverse events will continue to be important.
• Alternative payment models (APMs) focused on value-based reimbursement must include input and buy-in from the oncology community. There is concern that APMs could be developed without oncologist input, peer review, or evidence concerning immunotherapies for cancer. Ultimately, APMs will need to create and utilize quality measures that promote innovation rather than simply drive down costs, because it is often challenging to identify what a therapy’s value is until providers use it in a real-world context.