New MYLUNG Consortium Research Demonstrates Remote Pharmacist Intervention Significantly Increases Clinical Trial Enrollments in Community Oncology Setting

• Average monthly enrollment nearly doubled with pharmacy intervention
• Remote pharmacist easily adapted into clinic workflows in community practices

Results from the second phase of the broad, collaborative MYLUNG Consortium^TM research study in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were presented by The US Oncology Network (The Network), US Oncology Research and Ontada® at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. The findings show that the incorporation of a remote oncology pharmacist in clinical research teams significantly enhanced patient enrollment for Protocol 2 of the MYLUNG Consortium.

“Advances in science are quickly enabling new treatment opportunities, but timely enrollment into clinical trials continues to be a challenge,” said Elizabeth Koselke, PharmD, senior clinical pharmacist for The Network. “Our study showed that by incorporating an oncology-trained clinical pharmacist to remotely review chemotherapy regimens and a customized recruitment report, we were able to more efficiently screen patients and significantly enhance Protocol 2 enrollment.”

Koselke presented the findings during an oral presentation at ASCO titled, “Impact of oncology clinical pharmacist intervention on clinical trial enrollment in The US Oncology Network ’s MYLUNG Consortium.”

In the study, oncology-trained clinical pharmacists reviewed over an eight-month period 506 newly diagnosed and untreated NSCLC patients from six practices in The Network. Working remotely, the pharmacist reviewed chemotherapy regimen orders and identified, screened and assisted with recruitment of eligible patients for enrollment in MYLUNG Consortium Protocol 2. Working remotely enabled the pharmacists to identify patients quickly across the country who were potential candidates for the study. Enrollments and intervention data were then tracked to monitor the impact of the pharmacist intervention. The study showed that average monthly enrollment was significantly greater after pharmacist intervention (6.6 patients a month per practice) when compared to monthly enrollment before pharmacist intervention (3.4 patients a month per practice).

“These data show that using an interdisciplinary approach to trial enrollment can be an effective method to increase speed and efficiency in real-world clinical research,” noted Robert L. Coleman, MD, FACOG, FACS, chief scientific officer of US Oncology Research and the MYLUNG Consortium Principal Investigator. “As we move into Protocol 3 of the MYLUNG Consortium study, we look forward to continuing to validate pharmacist intervention across a wider spectrum of practices across The Network.”

An additional study at ASCO 2022 took a further look at the MYLUNG Consortium Protocol 1 results that were first presented at ASCO 2021. These initial findings reported that fewer than 50 percent of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer patients had the recommended biomarker tests.

In a poster presentation titled, “Predictors of biomarker testing among patients (pts) with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC),” MYLUNG Consortium researchers examined the social and economic factors associated with biomarker undertesting. The research found that lower comprehensive biomarker testing rates were associated with patients who were of the African American race, seen in a smaller practice size or in a practice in the southern part of the United States, or had squamous cell histology.

“This retrospective analysis took the previously reported research from Protocol 1 and further examined the patient factors that are associated with a lack of biomarker testing,” said Dr. Nicholas Robert, chief medical officer of Ontada. “Understanding these clinical and social determinants of health will be important interventions to improve testing rates as we enter into the prospective phases of the MYLUNG Consortium study.”

The MYLUNG Consortium is a collaborative and innovative research study comprised of three protocols over a five-year period, enabled through a unique collaboration of various organizations and stakeholders working together across the spectrum of NSCLC drug development, therapy and care. The number of consortium participants continues to grow, all bringing unique perspectives to this innovative study. The MYLUNG Consortium brings together providers and researchers in The Network, US Oncology Research and Ontada with life sciences companies Amgen, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Company, Genentech (a member of the Roche Group), and Mirati Therapeutics, Inc. Patient advocacy groups LUNGevity and GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer are also participating, playing a key role in the study by keeping the focus on patients. Participating practices in The Network include Illinois Cancer Specialists, Maryland Oncology Hematology, Minnesota Oncology, New York Oncology Hematology, Oncology Hematology Care, Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, Texas Oncology, Southern Cancer Center, Virginia Cancer Specialists, Virginia Oncology Associates, Willamette Valley Cancer Institute and Research Center and Woodlands Medical Specialists.

Read more about the MYLUNG Consortium here. To schedule a media interview with one of the study investigators, contact Claire Crye at Claire.Crye@usoncology.com.

About The US Oncology Network

Every day, The US Oncology Network (The Network) helps approximately 1,400 independent physicians deliver value-based, integrated care to patients — close to home. Through The Network, these independent doctors come together to form a community of shared expertise and resources dedicated to advancing local cancer care and to delivering better patient outcomes. The Network provides practices with access to coordinated resources, best business practices, and the experience, infrastructure and support of McKesson Corporation. This collaboration allows the providers in The Network to focus on the health of their patients, while McKesson focuses on the health of their practices. The Network is committed to the success of independent practices, everywhere.

About US Oncology Research

US Oncology Research draws from a network of experienced investigators and dedicated clinical staff who specialize in oncology clinical trials. US Oncology Research serves approximately 60 research sites and 170 locations, managing about 500 active trials at any given time. For the past 20 years, physicians in the research network have enrolled more than 91,000 patients in approximately 2,000 trials and have played a role in over 100 FDA-approved cancer therapies. US Oncology Research is supported by McKesson Corporation.

About Ontada

Ontada® is an oncology real-world data and evidence, clinical education and provider technology business dedicated to transforming the fight against cancer. Part of McKesson Corporation, we support science through our data, technology and channels, which accelerate innovation for life science companies, support the education of community oncology providers and advance patient care. Together with our partners, we improve the lives of cancer patients. For more information, visit ontada.com or follow @OntadaOncology.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220606005441/en/