Real-World Studies in Cancer, Neurological Disease Receive AMCP Foundation Best Poster Awards

Alexandria, Va., June 16, 2021 — AMCP Foundation and CVS Health proudly announced the recipients of AMCP Foundation Best Poster Awards at AMCP 2021 Virtual. This round of the semi-annual competition underscored the importance of capturing and integrating real-world evidence, including pharmacy, medical and outpatient data.

"This spring's honorees produced exceptional posters that pointed to potential improvements in patient care on a number of levels," said Paula J. Eichenbrenner, MBA, CAE, AMCP Foundation executive director. "All of the submissions showcased the influence that the decisions in managed care pharmacy have on the design and delivery of health care."

Student pharmacists, residents, and fellows were evaluated on scientific merit, methodology, and visual interpretation of data. Two award recipients were selected for their innovative and practical research.

Best Poster by A Student Pharmacist: Arvind Katta, PharmD Candidate, Northeastern University, School of Pharmacy, Boston, Mass. is recognized for "Hospital Outcomes Associated with Congestive Heart Failure Among Patients with Bladder Cancer in the U.S." Mortality in cancer patients from non-cancer causes speaks to the longevity provided by current and emerging cancer therapies, but what else is it saying? In Katta's research, health care costs and utilization data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database revealed worsened in-hospital outcomes in cancer patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) compared to cancer patients without CHF. As these comorbidity patterns continue to surface, health care professionals are reminded how important it is to effectively manage chronic diseases.

Best Poster by A Resident or Fellow: Nicholas Friedlander, PharmD, Prime Therapeutics, Eagan, Minn. is recognized for "Multiple Sclerosis Disease Modifying Drugs: Expenditure, Utilization, and New Start Trends among 15 Million Commercially Insured Members." With novel therapies and generics for multiple sclerosis (MS) entering the market, Dr. Friedlander's research integrated medical and pharmacy claims data to update trends within this high-cost disease. Although the medical spends increased 30.2% and pharmacy spend decreased 3.9% over a two-year period, the overall spend of MS disease modifying drugs (DMD) per member per month was steady. The surprising discovery was the misalignment between new start guideline recommendations of highly active agents and the minimal increase in proportion of MS DMD new starts treated with these agents.

Since its inception in 2002, AMCP Foundation's Best Poster Competition has provided an opportunity for student pharmacists and new practitioners to demonstrate analytic proficiency, poster development, and technical skills. Best Poster Awardees receive $500 and a one-year AMCP membership. AMCP Foundation also periodically invites established researchers to compete for topical Best Poster Awards.

Appreciation is extended to funding partner CVS Health, the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy, the Best Poster judges, and research preceptors who support AMCP Foundation's efforts to recognize future pharmacists and new practitioners conducting transformative research.

About AMCP Foundation

Established in 1990, the 501(c)3 nonprofit AMCP Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP). It exists to advance the collective knowledge and insights on major issues associated with the practice of pharmacy in managed care health care settings. By facilitating innovative research initiatives and providing educational opportunities to learn about managed care pharmacy, the AMCP Foundation invests in the future of managed care. Visit www.amcpfoundation.org.

About CVS Health

CVS Health is the nation's premier health innovation company helping people on their path to better health, by making quality care more affordable, accessible, simple and seamless. The Company has ~9,900 retail locations, ~1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with ~102M plan members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving 1M+ patients/year and specialty pharmacy services. We offer a leading standalone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan and Medicare Advantage offerings. https://www.cvshealth.com.