August 8 RxAdvocate August, 2025 — Newsletter
August Stories:
- First Interchangeable NovoLog Biosimilar, Kirsty, Approved
- FDA Approves Expanded Indication for Ajovy, the First Preventative Treatment for Pediatric Episodic Migraines
- Compliance Corner
- RxConnection Attends Virtue Health Symposium
- Meet the New Team Members!
First Interchangeable NovoLog Biosimilar, Kirsty, Approved
On July 15, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Kirsty (insulin aspart-xjhz), an interchangeable biosimilar to NovoLog. Kirsty is the second biosimilar to NovoLog (insulin aspart) to receive FDA approval and the first to be designated as interchangeable with NovoLog.
Merilog (insulin aspart-szjj) was approved in February 2025 as the first NovoLog-referencing biosimilar. Kirsty’s interchangeable designation means that in most states, the pharmacist can substitute the biosimilar for the reference biologic product at the pharmacy level without the need for a new prescription from the doctor.
Kirsty is the fourth FDA-approved insulin biosimilar product overall, joining Merilog, as well as Semglee and Rezvoglar, two Lantus biosimilars, on the quest for creating more affordable insulin products for all.
FDA Approves Expanded Indication for Ajovy, the First Preventative Treatment for Pediatric Episodic Migraines
On August 6, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Ajovy
(fremanezumab-vfrm) for the preventive treatment of episodic migraine in children and adolescents aged 6-17 years old who weigh 45 kilograms (99 lbs.) or more. This approval gives younger patients a new preventative treatment option for migraines, addressing a long-standing gap in care. Ajovy is administered once monthly and is available for in-office or at home use.
Compliance Corner
In April 2025, the White House issued a fact sheet detailing President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order aimed at lowering prescription drug prices by expanding transparency and reducing the influence of intermediaries—specifically pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The order directs the Department of Health and Human Services to enhance disclosure of fees that PBMs pay to brokers who steer employers toward PBM services, and to develop reforms that foster a more competitive and transparent prescription drug value chain, empowering employers with full visibility into PBM contracts to drive down costs and ultimately save employers—and consumers—money.
Complementing these executive actions, federal legislation—including the recently introduced Pharmacy Benefit Manager Transparency Act of 2025 (S. 526)—would prohibit PBM practices such as spread pricing, and require full disclosure of pricing, markups, fees, and rebates within one year of enactment, creating a clear legislative timeline for mandating transparent PBM contracts.
These materials are provided for informational and educational purposes. The website links provided are for convenience only. RxConnection is not responsible for the accuracy and validity of the content of those websites.
RxConnection Attends Virtue Health Symposium
Zach Jones headed to Indianapolis the week of August 10th to take part in a Pharmacy Solutions Panel for Virtue Health and their Captive Program’s Annual Symposium. They hosted over 100 guests made up of employers, brokers, and vendors. Zach answered questions relating to audit services, contract pitfalls, the state of the Union in regard to prescription drugs, and many other topics. This was a great event and provided some strong networking opportunities for RxConnection. We are looking forward to partnering with Virtue Health in the future.
Virtue Health is a private group health consortium made up of over 100 employers who look to offer best in class risk management solutions to lower volatility, smooth out renewals, and improve benefits.
Meet the New Team Members!
Welcome Angie Hristova to the RxConnection team as a Senior Audit Analyst!
Angie has a background in the pharmacy industry and vast knowledge of data validation audits. She is located in Wood Dale, IL, and we are thrilled to have her on board!
Welcome Chelsea Henry to the RxConnection team as a Strategic Account Executive!
Chelsea has extensive experience in benefits implementation and project management. She is based in Memphis, TN, and we are excited to have her on the team!
Welcome Scott Lowery to the RxConnection team as an Account Manager!
Scott is located in Columbia, SC, and has a solid background in program management and administration. We are happy to have him on the team!
Welcome Kaylee Dunson to the RxConnection team as an Account Manager!
Kaylee brings years of experience in client services and account management. She is located in New Boston, TX, and we are thrilled to have her on board!
Contact us
Orlando.Neal@rxconnectionllc.com