JDRF's Kowalski Sees Hope in Bipartisan Support for Insulin Pricing Reform
Aaron Kowalski, PhD, the new CEO of the JDRF, says in a discussion about insulin pricing that action is needed not only by Congress, but also by insulin makers, health plans, and the executive branch. The most important goal: ending a crosspayment scheme that many blame for potentially deadly price increases.
Renting Health vs Buying Cures: How New Financing Tools Can Boost Cancer Therapy Development
Evidence-Based OncologyTM sat down with Andrew W. Lo, PhD, to discuss his proposals to increase investment in medical innovation and utilization by giving investors more ways to support both research organizations and individual patients.
As Trials Report Cardiovascular Outcomes Data, What About Microvascular Results?
Evidence is more robust on kidney function but not sufficient to make drug decisions, one expert said. A whole separate trial, called CREDENCE, is examining renal function in patients taking canagliflozin.
UnitedHealthcare's Medtronic Deal Sparks Furor, but a Year Later, Innovation Continues
UnitedHealthcare has not released numbers on how many patients are affected by its exclusivity deal with Medtronic. While the initial press stories criticizing the transaction have died down, a JDRF initiative calls on insurers to preserve patient choice.
Latest GAO Report Disputes Criticism of Controversial Test Strip Program
A recent report from the Government Accountability Office mostly concurs with CMS on a dispute over problems with the Medicare competitive bidding program, following an explosive study in Diabetes Care that found beneficiaries lost access to key supplies.
From Contrave Saga, Renewed Faith in Trials Built on Trust
The decision by Cleveland Clinic's Steven Nissen, MD, to issue his own press release last spring after the cardiovascular outcomes trial was halted for Contrave turned plenty of heads in the pharmaceutical community. But Nissen and others involved in the saga see what happened with Orexigen as a one-time incident, not a flaw with the process for evaluating the safety of diabetes and obesity therapies.
Toujeo and Afrezza: New and Improved Insulins, Limited by FDA Labeling Constraints
Two new insulins marketed by Sanofi offer improved options for patients: Toujeo is longer acting than its predecessor, Lantus. Afrezza, an inhaled insulin, is gaining praise from patients, if not from Wall Street.