Publications by authors named "Francesca Mernick"
Article Synopsis
- Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) and X-linked protoporphyria (XLP) are rare conditions causing severe skin reactions to sunlight, and afamelanotide is the only approved treatment that enhances light tolerance and quality of life (QoL).
- A study conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital evaluated 29 adults who received afamelanotide, showing that patients experienced significant increases in time before phototoxic symptoms appeared after sunlight exposure, indicating improved light tolerance.
- Despite these benefits in light tolerance and QoL, the treatment did not result in improvements in laboratory markers of protoporphyria or liver function.
Purpose: Healthcare systems are challenged with implementing high-cost, high-impact medication therapies with increasing frequency. Pharmacy & therapeutics (P&T) committees may struggle to integrate requests for these medications into their existing formulary review process. This article describes one large academic medical center's experience with creating a new P&T subcommittee that addresses the clinical, operational, and financial challenges these medications present.
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