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The clinical significance of minimal residual disease (MRD) status was recently highlighted in The American Journal of Managed Care®’s Peer Exchange series “A Review of the Treatment for Multiple Myeloma.” During the series, key opinion leaders discussed the clinical implications and significance of MRD testing in patients with multiple myeloma.

The ability to provide long-acting reversible contraceptive to adolescents seeking birth control on the same day as their clinic visit is linked with potentially significant cost savings for insurance providers, according to a study.

The September issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) featured research on federal healthcare reform that detailed innovative ideas in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Veterans Affairs health system. Here are 5 findings from research published in the issue.

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

A CRISPR therapy for a man with HIV has resulted in no side effects but is ineffective; nursing facilities are a breeding ground for drug-resistant germs; Walmart has opened its first “Walmart Health” center, offering a variety of health services.

This week, the top managed care news included a report showing the US uninsured rate rose in 2018; the Trump administration indicating it will ban all flavors of e-cigarettes except for tobacco; new research showing the prevalence of hemophilia is 3 times larger than originally believed.

As an FDA advisory committee prepares to meet Friday to discuss an application from Aimmune Therapeutics for AR101, its peanut oral immunotherapy (OIT) product, results of a different phase 2 study were released late Thursday indicating that those with allergies to the legume would have to continue treatment in order to avoid reactions.

Napping during the day 1 or 2 times weekly may lower risk of heart attack and stroke, but no association was found with the duration or greater frequency of naps, according to a new study.

As orphan drugs account for an increasing share of drugs approved, they are driving up the cost of drug launches and drug prices. In a new paper, America's Health Insurance Plans analyzes these rising costs and the use of orphan drugs and asserts that policy makers need to revisit the Orphan Drug Act.

Coverage of the “decisions at the point of purchase” segment for the Health Spending: Moving from Theory to Action event at the National Press Club in Washington D.C.

The family that owns the drug company at the center of the nation’s opioid problem reached a tentative settlement with thousands of municipal governments and nearly 2 dozen states that sued the pharma industry for its role in creating the crisis; nearly 8 in 10 Americans back legislation to protect people from surprise medical bills; the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, was not only about lead in the water—it was also about a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease.

The study researchers, who examined 1600 premenopausal women who underwent bilateral oophorectomy between 1988 and 2007, found that psychiatric symptoms may lead a woman to undergo an oophorectomy, even after receiving a nonmalignant diagnosis.

Predetermined topics to be discussed by the 2020 dietary guidelines committee failed to mention risks correlated to red meat, processed foods, and appropriate sodium intake, which contribute to the impending epidemic of lifestyle diseases.

In a new study, researchers compared the associations between several measures of breathing patterns during sleep and daytime sleepiness related to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). They found that nighttime oxygen desaturation severity was a strong predictor of sleepiness.

The Trump administration said Wednesday that the FDA will “prioritize” enforcement of flavored e-cigarette regulations in an effort to get them removed from the market.

The discussion about whether existing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or new IBD can worsen after secukinumab therapy is not resolved, the researchers said.

Nearly 28.5 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured, leaving them at risk for medical costs they may not be able to afford. Surprise billing is particularly problematic for acute, or emergency cases.

Cumulative viral load was associated with increased risk of kidney disease, suggesting that early viral suppression could decrease incidence of disease.

Health insurers will shell out $743 million in rebates to consumers under an Affordable Care Act (ACA) rule; the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine offers benefits to men who are not vaccinated; Apple is launching 3 studies to assess the Apple Watch’s ability to monitor health and medical conditions.

Finding a midlife risk factor for dementia—such as migraine—could allow for earlier detection of at‐risk patients.

All patients with metastatic breast cancer should undergo genetic testing based on the prevalence of P/LP variants in patients with metastatic breast cancer, which can have therapeutic implications.

According to a report from the US Census Bureau, the rising rate of the uninsured appears to be a result of a slump in Medicaid coverage. Health policy experts say the decline reflects efforts by the Trump administration to undermine the Affordable Care Act.

A new liquid biopsy test could detect microsatellite instability and tumor mutational burden, which can distinguish which patients are likely to respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Juul is being investigated for making unauthorized safety claims, while the governor of New York proposes to ban flavored e-cigarettes; Sutter Health is being sued for its role in rising healthcare costs; a European doctor who uses telemedicine and internet prescribing to provide American women with mifepristone and misoprostol to induce abortion in the first trimester is suing the FDA.

In 2 studies published in The Lancet Neurology, ozanimod was well tolerated and had a lower relapse rate in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis.

The meta-analysis showed that more than 1,125,000 men around the world have the inherited bleeding disorder; 418,000 of those have a severe version of the mostly undiagnosed disease. Previously, only 400,000 people globally were estimated to have hemophilia.

The agency has approved nintedanib (Ofev) to slow the rate of pulmonary function decline in adult patients with interstitial lung disease associated with systemic sclerosis or scleroderma.

School-based telemedicine was shown to potentially enhance healthcare benefits for children with chronic diseases, such as asthma, in rural and medically underserved communities, according to a study.

Human leukocyte antigen c (HLA‐C), a protein encoded by the HLA-C gene, plays an important role in protecting against both cancer and viruses. At the same time, it has been implicated in autoimmune diseases, including rheumatic diseases, though the mechanism by which it contributes to the pathogenesis of these diseases is not yet clear.

Oxycontin manufacturer rejects settlement for role in opioid epidemic and moves toward bankruptcy; new vaping-related respiratory illnesses reported; Senator Kamala Harris, D-California, a 2020 presidential candidate, proposes a new healthcare plan for veterans.