AJMC Staff

Merck sues to stop Medicare drug price negotiations; doctors delay lifesaving therapies due to cancer drug shortages; a federal appeals court will hear Affordable Care Act coverage prevention case.

Health restrictions on transgender adults and children; weight-loss companies to include obesity drugs; hormone patches or creams for menopause may have lower blood pressure risk than pills

President Joe Biden has reportedly picked former North Carolina health chief Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH, as next head of the CDC; Black men were probably underdiagnosed with lung problems because of software bias; the US birthrate remains flat.

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research and news reporting in the health care and mainstream press.

The FDA approved Pfizer’s respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine Wednesday; Medicare announced plans to largely cover a new class of expensive Alzheimer drugs; more states are extending postpartum coverage under Medicaid.

Olaparib plus abiraterone and prednisone or prednisolone already is approved in the European Union and several other countries.

The 2023 Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit took place in early May in Las Vegas, Nevada, and The American Journal of Managed Care® was there to cover the meeting—catch up on what you may have missed.

Sick restaurants workers are among the main drivers of foodborne illness outbreaks at restaurants, according to the CDC; Sackler family members of Purdue Pharma can be protected from opioid liability, an appeals court rules; Sweden nears becoming the first “smoke free” country in Europe as daily cigarette use falls.

In this first part of a 2-part series, Rana R. McKay, MD, associate professor of Medicine and Urology, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, provides an overview of the treatment landscape for advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Debt limit deal will not effect Medicaid; a national safety board may make health care safer; experimental hemophilia therapy reduces bleeding.

The FDA approves Pfizer’s oral COVID-19 drug; hundreds of thousands of people lose Medicaid coverage after pandemic protections expire; irregular menstrual cycles seem to be linked with higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks.

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research and news reporting in the health care and mainstream press.

AHIP president and CEO Matthew Eyles will step down later this year; the House Energy and Commerce Committee moved a series of health care measures concerning pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs); US debt default could stop FDA drug and device reviews, said FDA chief.

Blue Cross Blue Shield in Massachusetts sets agreement with Tufts Medicine using equity benchmarks; drug prices covered by Medicaid to undergo yearly audit; South Carolina abortion ban headed to governor as Planned Parenthood announces national staff cutbacks to shift resources to the states.

In the second part of a 2-part series, Rana R. McKay, MD, associate professor of Medicine and Urology, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, discusses second-line treatment options for advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Surgeon General warns of social media’s harm; additional women in Texas cite health risks from abortion bans; White House supports bill against fentanyl trafficking.

The World Health Organization (WHO) prepares for the next pandemic; new restrictions on reproductive health services in the South; Thermo Fisher Scientific receives FDA approval for a first-of-its-kind preeclampsia test.

New studies seem to show 2 doses of mpox vaccine more effective than 1; US drug overdoses peaked in 2022; fertility app Premom will pay $200,000 after sharing sensitive user data.

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research and news reporting in the health care and mainstream press.

The Biden administration said it will expand health care access, including mental health care, to students; depression reaches an all-time high in the United States; the FDA’s independent vaccine advisers are meeting to discuss the safety and effectiveness of a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine.

Black populations suffered 1.6 million excess deaths in the past 20 years, new studies find; the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sues to block Amgen from acquiring Horizon Therapeutics, citing 2 drugs that have no competition; cancer drug shortages are approaching an all-time high.

WHO urges caution regarding artificial intelligence (AI) bias; South Carolina ban would restrict abortion at 6 weeks; appeals court pauses ruling barring free preventative health services.

UnitedHealthcare will require most colonoscopies to have prior authorization; the World Health Organization says that progress in reducing maternal and infant deaths has halted; hospitals are creating their own police forces to address increasing violence against staff.

It is important to have a multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of patients with small cell lung cancer, according to Jason Porter, MD, medical oncologist and hematologist, West Cancer Center and Research Institute, Memphis, Tennessee. This team approach allows for early intervention with signs of relapse or progression.

The FDAs newest blood donation guidance may expand donation eligibility; Pfizer CEO anticipates lawsuits to stop US drug price plan; drug shortages have worsened and may increase even with the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research and news reporting in the health care and mainstream press.

The end of the national Public Health Emergency (PHE) also concludes some public support programs; FDA advisers unanimously recommended that the agency should approve OTC birth control pills; insulin manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers testified on Capitol Hill Wednesday over the cost of the drug.

Florida Cancer Specialists recently released a case study that outlined its role in the evolution of a first-line therapy for adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) that recently received FDA approval.

Biotech company EQRx discards low-cost drug plan, cuts its therapy programs to 1, and slashes staff in “reset”; health care systems’ preparation for new Alzheimer disease drug takes location and resources into consideration; the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will extend telemedicine prescribing for certain controlled medications through at least November 11.

The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency spotlights US outbreak tracking weakness; the American Psychological Association released guidelines to guide teen social media use; the first study funded by the US government to measure safe injection site effectiveness was announced Monday.