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A review of migraine and cluster headache emphasizes how their shared pathophysiological pathways may be important for identifying future treatments.

Benzodiazepines are typically prescribed to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) symptoms and are also typically prescribed for those with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, a recent study found that long-term use of benzodiazepine medications in patients with both COPD and PTSD may be associated with a greater suicide risk.

A retrospective cohort study by compared different osteoporosis preventative-medications and found that selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERM) had better hip and major fracture risk reductions than alendronate, while strontium ranelate (SR) had poorer hip and major fracture risk reduction than alendronate.

Switchable chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells with a switch directed towards human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has similar efficacy as conventional HER2 CAR T cells while also having a greater control over treatment toxicities.

Researchers developed and validated a risk score to predict febrile neutropenia in cycles 2 to 6 of chemotherapy.

Health experts are questioning the practice of allowing private insurers to manage public Medicaid contracts; doctors and scientists are urging a halt to a taxpayer-funded, $63 million medical trial based in part on the work of prominent Harvard Medical School scientist Piero Anversa; a Michigan pharmacist who refused to refill a woman’s miscarriage medication because he claimed he was a “good Catholic male” is no longer with Meijer.

With its new FDA approval, Hemlibra (emicizumab-kxwh), a bispecific factor IXa- and factor X-directed antibody, has become the first prophylactic treatment for patients with hemophilia A with or without factor VIII inhibitors.

The October 2018 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) includes studies on diabetes outcomes, the effect of feedback reports on physician behavior, accountable care organization performance, and more. Here are 5 findings from the research published in the issue.

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

This week, the top managed care news included the Trump administration unveiling plans to include drug prices in television ads; CMS touted Medicare Advantage at the beginning of open enrollment for Medicare; research found Medicare beneficiaries who live in housing with support services stay out of the hospital.

For chronic sciatica, a recent study said that while gabapentin (GBP) and pregabalin (PGB) are both effective, GBP was found to be superior with fewer and less severe adverse events.

This series of pharmacoeconomics posts will explore the meaning of $100,000/quality-adjusted life year (QALY) and why it might matter to these 4 P’s: patients, payers, providers, and pharma. Part 2 puts ICER into context so it can be applied to decision-making.

An event hosted by the American Enterprise Institute highlighted companies in the private sector that are working on novel ways to transform healthcare and bring better value to patients.

A population-level roll-out of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV in men who have sex with men resulted in a 25% reduction in HIV diagnoses in just 1 year.

The midterm election is less than a month away, and a new poll tracking how Americans view healthcare issues finds that a majority of voters in 2 bellwether states—Nevada and Florida—prefer a candidate who supports keeping the Affordable Care Act (ACA)'s protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

Researchers have created a database that shows how 409 different tumor cells respond to 122 therapies, which will allow clinical trials to proceed for this aggressive blood cancer.

Previous studies have noted a lower quality of care in for-profit nursing homes, but those studies have typically focused on individual clinical effects. A new study looking at a broader list of neglect found that residents in for-profit homes are almost twice as likely to experience adverse health problems from substandard care.

UnitedHealthcare has announced it is listing 3 biosimilars as preferred drugs; Express Scripts has decided it will cover Eli Lilly’s and Amgen’s migraine drugs and will not cover Teva Pharmaceutical's drug; black men are more likely to get and die from prostate cancer compared with white men, but they are underrepresented in prostate cancer research because of a general distrust of the healthcare system.

A study has found no evidence that bleomycin plus granulocyte-stimulating factor (G-CSF) increases the risk for bleomycin-induced pulmonary toxicity in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma.

Last week, Bristol-Myers Squibb announced results from the phase 3 CheckMate -331 trial that investigated nivolumab (Opdivo) versus the current standard of care, chemotherapy, in the treatment of patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) who relapsed following platinum-based chemotherapy. The trial found that nivolumab did not significantly increase overall survival compared with chemotherapy.

Medicare beneficiaries who live in housing that offers supportive social services use the hospital less than seniors who live in the same neighborhoods in housing without such amenities.

Results of a study about an implantable device for chronic pain relief showed it reduced disability by about 27%, according to patient-reported outcomes about this nondrug pain treatment.

Starting April 1, 2019, Express Scripts will offer its SafeGuardRx Migraine Care Value program, which will help patients achieve better outcomes with preventive therapies and offer a value-based design for plan sponsors.

With a decision from the FDA for its use in moderate-to-severe asthma expected by the end of the week, the biologic dupilumab showed positive results from a pivotal phase 3 trial for inadequately controlled chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.

The FDA has developed 2 lists with molecular targets to increase drug development for pediatric cancers; there have been at least 62 cases in 2018 of children who have been affected by a rare paralyzing illness; a recent survey has found that health insurance has failed in its basic function of protecting people from financial ruin in case of costly health issues.

Piecemeal solutions to implement value-based payment arrangements will not be able to effectively enact change. Authors in The New England Journal of Medicine argue that a range of complementary solutions need to be pursued simultaneously based on previously successful tactics on a smaller scale.

The novel vaccine—eOD-GT8 60mer—stimulates the immune system to initiate a key first step in the generation of potent proteins, known as broadly neutralizing antibodies.

Treating lung conditions like asthma in pregnant women is a challenge, as it requires knowledge of both the safety of treatments during pregnancy as well as understanding the risks of the disease for both the woman and the infant, noted a review of a new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) information system for prescribers.

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have the potential to enhance drug development, regulatory decisions, and shared decision making, and the benefits of using PROs are broadly agreed upon, but there are a variety of challenges facing stakeholders.

CMS Administrator Seema Verma touted the growth in enrollment in Medicare Advantage programs during an appearance at a conference run by America’s Health Insurance Plans on Tuesday.