News

Bristol Myers Squibb Expands Patient Support Programs to Help Newly Uninsured Patients in the U.S. – Immediate Relief Available

• Amanda Bridges
• April 7, 2020
• News
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PRINCETON, N.J. – April 7, 2020 – Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) today announced an expansion of its existing patient support programs to help eligible unemployed patients in the U.S. who have lost their health insurance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The expanded program offers access to any branded Bristol Myers Squibb medicine for free,…

Webinar with Professor from Italy

• Katrina Williams
• March 24, 2020
• News
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Sandoz will be hosting a webinar March 25th at 11am ET with a Professor/Hospital Director from Italy to facilitate sharing of knowledge and clinical experience regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Details are listed below. . 

Please take three minutes of your time to answer these important questions:

• Katrina Williams
• March 24, 2020
• News
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Dear Colleagues: Please take three minutes of your time to answer these important questions: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/C8ZDYNW about the impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic on our practices, needs, and available resources. This survey has been prepared by the multi-state and international cardio-oncology collaborative network from the American College of Cardiology (ACC), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and…

Novartis announces broad range of initiatives to respond to COVID-19 Pandemic; Creates USD 20 million global fund to support impacted communities

• Amanda Bridges
• March 20, 2020
• News
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Novartis today announced a broad set of measures to support the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These measures include the creation of a global fund to support communities around the world impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the company’s decision to join two key cross-industry R&D initiatives. For more information click here.

Rx Vantage offers help during the COVID-19 pandemic

• Katrina Williams
• March 19, 2020
• News
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RxVantage As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, we have fielded thousands of inquiries from our medical office community about updating and communicating protocols for industry reps and vendors. What we thought was a nice-to-have feature of our free service has become mission-critical for practice communication overnight. Given the volume of inquiries we are receiving,…

FCS Expanding Cancer Care

• Katrina Williams
• February 21, 2020
• News
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Florida Cancer Specialists Expanding Cancer Care Treatment Services & Opening First of its KindDrug Development Unit with Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Central Florida FCS’s New Lake Mary Cancer Center & Sarah Cannon Research Institute Drug Development Unit to open this month Fort Myers, Fla., February 19, 2020 — Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS)…

Additional Learning Opportunity During the Miami Winter Heme Meeting

• Katrina Williams
• February 21, 2020
• News
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On behalf of OncLive and Dr. Lonial of Winship Cancer Institute we would to invite you to participate in “Toxicity Management in Multiple Myeloma: An OncLive Scientific Interchange and Workshop”. This 3-hour meeting will be used to share your valuable insights, expert knowledge, and practical experience on management of toxicities associated with novel therapies in the treatment…

Florida Cancer Specialists partners with Cedar to improve the patient financial experience

• Katrina Williams
• February 17, 2020
• News
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Personalized billing and payment platform will enable an improved financial experience for oncology patients across the growing FCS community-based provider network Fort Myers, Fla., February 10, 2020 — Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) and Cedar, a patient engagement and payment technology platform, today announced that they are partnering to modernize the on-line payment experience…

ACCC Patient Assistance and Reimbursement

• Amanda Bridges
• January 30, 2020
• News
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IMPROVED FUNCTIONALITY & NAVIGATION!  To Download your copy visit the ACCC site Today! Hot links on the “Table of Contents” allow you to go straight to the drug manufacturer’s patient assistance and reimbursement page OR click on a specific drug and go right to that drug’s patient assistance and reimbursement program. Plus, a “Table of…

The Villages Balloon Festival 2020

• Katrina Williams
• January 13, 2020
• News
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BRCA Resource

• Katrina Williams
• January 10, 2020
• News
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Merck and FLASCO share the ASCO triple aim of matching the right patient to the right drug at the right time and believe this project can further that objective. Merck/AstraZeneca developed and shared a non-branded electronic resource that can be utilized by providers and patients, in both English and Spanish, that highlights why BRCA testing…

Guidelines for Lung Cancer Surveillance After Definitive Curative-Intent Therapy: ASCO Guideline

• Katrina Williams
• December 13, 2019
• News
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Edgardo S. Santos Castillero, M.D., FACP, Secretary of the Florida Society of Clinical Oncology (FLASCO), Founding Partner, Florida Precision Oncology R&C, FPO, a Division of 21st Century Oncology Thoracic and Head/Neck Cancer Programs, and Clinical Associate Professor at Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University shared his appreciation of the opportunity provided by ASCO to him and his Co-Chairs…

New Standards/Guidelines to Dispense Oral Medications

• Katrina Williams
• December 13, 2019
• News
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Luis E. Raez, MD, FACP, FCCP, President of Florida Society of Clinical Oncology (FLASCO), Chief Scientific Officer & Medical Director of Memorial Cancer Institute, Memorial Health Care System and Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University participated in the Expert Panel created by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the National Community Oncology Dispensing…

Outcome of BRCA Survey Project

• Katrina Williams
• December 4, 2019
• News
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In July 2019, the FLASCO Board of Directors approved a Survey Initiative on BRCA testing with Merck, FLASCO Diamond Elite Member. All FLASCO Members who treat patients with breast/ovarian cancer, including APPs, were asked to complete the survey.  The goal of the project was to identify the needs in order to increase awareness and utilization…

January – 2020 – National Radon Action Month Webinar Series

• Amanda Bridges
• December 3, 2019
• News
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The Florida Department of Health is a partner in conducting four free webinars during the month of January 2020.  The webinars are intended to raise awareness and knowledge of radon, the leading environmental cause of lung cancer in the United States.  You have the ability to affect change as it pertains to reducing radon-induced lung…

FLASCO Advocating for Florida’s Cancer Patients Florida Blue Revises Tavalisse, Promacta, Nplate and Doptolet Coverage for Treatment of ITP

• Amanda Bridges
• November 20, 2019
• News
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Prompted by a FLASCO Clinical Practice issue, Florida Blue has agreed to remove the requirement that the member has undergone splenectomy or has a contraindication to splenectomy from Florida Blue coverage policies for Tavalisse, Promacta, Nplate, and Doptelet.  The policy in question allowed coverage in the absence of splenectomy if the member has a contraindication…

FDA approves first targeted therapy to treat patients with painful complication of sickle cell disease

• Katrina Williams
• November 15, 2019
• News
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Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Adakveo (crizanlizumab-tmca), a treatment to reduce the frequency of vaso-occlusive crisis – a common and painful complication of sickle cell disease that occurs when blood circulation is obstructed by sickled red blood cells – for patients age 16 years and older. Common side effects for patients taking…

NOW AVAILABLE: ZIEXTENZO (pegfilgrastim-bmez)

• Katrina Williams
• November 14, 2019
• News
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Sandoz Inc., a division of Novartis, is pleased to announce that Sandoz Inc. has received FDA approval for ZIEXTENZO (pegfilgrastim-bmez). As you may be aware, ZIEXTENZO, a biosimilar of Neulasta®, is a long-acting G-CSF indicated to decrease the incidence of infection, as manifested by febrile neutropenia, in patients with non-myeloid malignancies receiving myelosuppressive anti-cancer drugs…

Upcoming Changes to Genentech Patient Foundation Enrollment Forms

• Katrina Williams
• November 3, 2019
• News
• No Comments

As part of Genentech’s ongoing commitment to patient access and ensuring that patients and practices have a positive experience with Genentech, we constantly assess our processes to ensure they remain in the best interest of our practices and patients. Starting October 21st 2019, we will be launching a faster, more intuitive Genentech Patient Foundation enrollment…

Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation Distributes over $5.5 Million in Patient Grants since 2011

• Katrina Williams
• October 21, 2019
• News
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Board approves increase in annual grant amount Sarasota, Fla., Oct. 17, 2019 — Since its inception in 2011, the Florida Cancer Specialists (FCS) Foundation has provided over $5.5 million in grants to help cancer patients in need. The FCS Foundation has awarded $1.16 million in grants year-to-date in 2019, surpassing the prior year’s total. The FCS…

New Packaging Configuration for KEYTRUDA(R) (pembrolizumab)

• FLASCO
• August 20, 2019
• News
• No Comments

FDA approves entrectinib for NTRK solid tumors and ROS-1 NSCLC

• FLASCO
• August 20, 2019
• News
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On August 15, 2019, the Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to entrectinib (ROZLYTREK, Genentech Inc.) for adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older with solid tumors that have a neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK)gene fusion without a known acquired resistance mutation, are metastatic or where surgical resection is likely to…

U.S. FDA Approves INREBIC® (Fedratinib) as First New Treatment in Nearly a Decade for Patients With Myelofibrosis

• FLASCO
• August 20, 2019
• News
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved INREBIC® (fedratinib) for the treatment of adult patients with intermediate-2 or high-risk primary or secondary (post-polycythemia vera or post-essential thrombocythemia) myelofibrosis.1 “The approval of INREBIC is another important milestone for Celgene and underscores our commitment to people living with blood cancers,” said Jay Backstrom, M.D., M.P.H., Chief…

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center Earns Prestigious NCI Designation

• FLASCO
• July 30, 2019
• News
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The NCI designation recognizes Sylvester as among the top cancer centers in the United States. Sylvester joins a highly select group as one of only two NCI-designated cancer centers in the state of Florida, and one of just 71 across the nation. Julio Frenk, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., president of the University of Miami, and Stephen D….

New Study Reveals Many Common Medications Increase Risk of Skin Cancer

• Amanda Bridges
• July 25, 2019
• News
• No Comments

Florida Cancer Specialists Oncologists Gerald Sokol, MD, MSc, FCP, Jorge Ayub, MD, Gail Wright, MD, FACP, FCCP and David Wenk, MD Co-Author New Research Study on Drug-Induced Photosensitivity Fort Myers, FL – July 19, 2019… Many common medications, including antibiotics, drugs used for high blood pressure and to lower cholesterol, even over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs),…

ASCO Annual Meeting- May 31, 2019- June 2, 2019

• FLASCO
• June 11, 2019
• News
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This year’s ASCO Annual was another great inspiration on so many levels!  Congratulations are in order to the American Society of Clinical Oncology Planning Committee on the overwhelming success of the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting, almost 40,000 people strong! The ASCO Annual Meeting brings together oncology professionals from around the world to discuss state-of-the-art treatment modalities, new…

In Loving Memory of Don Champlain

• Katrina Williams
• June 11, 2019
• News
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Don Champlain Memorial Fund In Loving Memory of Don Champlain In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Don Champlain Memorial Fund, benefiting the Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation. Don had an incredible outlook and contagious positivity. His passion for his job was compelling and he leaves behind a legacy of love, dedication and…

Florida Cancer Specialists Welcomes Barry S. Berman, MD

• Katrina Williams
• June 5, 2019
• News
• No Comments

New Medical Oncologist Joins in Palm Beach County Fort Myers, FL – June 4, 2019 . . . Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS) is pleased to announce that Medical Oncologist and Hematologist, Barry S. Berman, MD has joined joined the statewide practice and will be seeing patients in two offices, including West Palm Beach (1309…