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Pharmaceutical companies can expect accelerated drug development by using alternate endpoints instead of the gold standard of OS and PFS for oncology molecules.

The monoclonal antibody MPDL3280A, a PD-L1 inhibitor being developed by Genentech, generated pharmacodynamic responses as measured by circulating biomarkers in phase 1a studies in patients with triple negative breast cancer.

Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, who took office as US Surgeon General in December and has a ceremonial swearing-in Thursday, says he hopes to reduce chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease by promoting physical activity.

Hospital patients felt an increased financial burden in 2014 due to a combination of rising procedure costs and higher deductibles, according to TransUnion Healthcare's Q4 2014 report.

Nursing home operators are asking legislators for a "carve out" from the state's managed care plan. The AARP says this will retain a system that keeps state funds way from caring for the elderly in their homes, which most Louisiana residents prefer.

Results presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2015 show the presence of a known driver of non-small cell lung cancer in small cell lung cancer, implying that promising treatments for the former may be applicable to the latter form of the disease.

Oncologists are slightly less satisfied with their specialty than they were a few years ago, according to the fifth consecutive annual Medscape report.

Being admitted to the hospital on the weekend is associated with an increased likelihood of a hospital-acquired condition, which in turn increases cost and length of stay, reported researchers from the University of Southern California.

The diabetes drug metformin is being used in some cancer treatment trials, but study results show the use of metformin does not improve survival of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

The FDA is offering a grant of up to $1 million to turn large amounts of electronic health record data into usable figures highlighting postmarket risks of various drugs.

The system lets consumers pay cash at store register, while clerks scan bar codes sent to their cell phones. The system replaces these consumers sending in money orders each month.

The incidence rate for heart failure dropped steeply over a decade in a population-based study, and while hospitalization rates remained steady over time, causes shifted from cardiovascular to noncardiovascular.

Adoption of draft United States Preventive Services Task Force breast cancer screening recommendations would result in thousands of additional and unnecessary breast cancer deaths each year, the American College of Radiology said.

New legislation introduced by a bipartisan group of US senators would make it more difficult for new and generic opioid drugs to obtain the approval of the FDA.

Adoption of alternative payment models that reduce the number of visits to the emergency department could cause unintended consequences for emergency care through a reduction in revenue, according to researchers at the Brookings Institute.

The total number of breast cancer cases in the United States is forecast to be 50% greater in 2030 than it was in 2011 driven mostly by a marked increase in cases of estrogen receptor-positive tumors.

While statins can prevent disease in older adults, they can also cause potentially serious side effects that could outweigh the benefits, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The Kaiser Health Tracking Poll found Americans strongly support ensuring that those with chronic conditions like cancer, HIV, and mental illness can have access to affordable drugs, and this sentiment was shared across partisan lines.

Women with an average risk of breast cancer should have screening mammography every 2 years during ages 50 to 74, according to updated recommendations from the United States Preventive Services Task Force.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center found combining 2 immunotherapies to be safe and elicit a clinical response in patients with metastatic melanoma.

What can the US learn from the UK National Health System? Probably not acute care management, but definitely, primary care and preventive interventions.

While most patients do not benefit from early follow-up after they are discharged from the hospital, researchers from Duke University Medical Center and Community Care of North Carolina found follow-up within 7 days was associated with substantially lower readmission rates among patients with high clinical complexity and high risk of readmission.

One of the hot new cancer immunotherapy drugs, Merck & Co's Keytruda, strongly benefited patients with melanoma, lung cancer and mesothelioma, according to 3 studies presented at the American Association for Cancer Research conference.

Governor Rick Scott's decision to sue CMS could harm an opportunity to expand a pilot program in Medicaid managed care first championed by former Republican Governor Jeb Bush, which was found to save $118 million a year. It was praised by the conservative Heritage Foundation.

Patients in states that expanded Medicaid eligibility had 25.4% more prescriptions filled than in 2013, compared with a 2.8% prescription increase in states that did not expand eligibility.

CMS has introduced star ratings based on patient experiences on Hospital Compare to make it easier for consumers to choose a hospital and understand the quality of care they deliver.

Improvements in quality of care and patient safety in hospitals have saved $12 billion from 2011-2013, according to a new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. However, while disparities in access to care are diminishing, they still remain.

In the usual cancer biopsy, a surgeon cuts out a piece of the patient's tumor, but researchers in labs across the country are now testing a potentially transformative innovation. They call it the liquid biopsy.

Fifteen states are betting they can convince more doctors to accept the growing number of patients covered by Medicaid with a simple incentive: more money.

HHS' Office for Civil Rights (OCR) could hand down some whopping fines for HIPAA violations later this year, privacy attorney Adam Greene told govinfosecurity.com in an interview.