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Although pulmonary rehabilitation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is linked to better survival, a large study of fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare patients show it is underused, with less than 2% of those studied taking part in a 3-month program.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said there are 7 or 8 top vaccine candidates for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); hydroxychloroquine alone, or paired with azithromycin, showed no benefit for hospitalized patients with severe cases of COVID-19; the reported death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 80,000 yesterday, with a CDC report suggesting that thousands of unreported New York City deaths may be linked to the virus.

How will coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affect prescription drug trends? The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) put questions to Chris Robbins, chief executive officer of Arxcel Consulting LLC, to review these subjects and more in a wrapup discussion after the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy virtual meeting.

Challenges in sensory processing are common among adolescents with episodic migraine, while sensory avoidance may be related to individual pain experience, pain catastrophizing, and disability level, according to a study published in The Journal of Headache and Pain.

Cognitive function, especially verbal intelligence, is strongly and consistently associated with myopia (nearsightedness) among adolescents, according to a study published in BMC Public Health.

The FDA approved Eli Lilly’s selpercatinib (Retevmo) capsules to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) and other thyroid cancer tumors. The treatment is indicated for patients whose tumors have an alternation, such as a mutation or fusion, in a specific gene (RET or 'rearranged during transfection'), marking the first approval of a therapy for cancer patients with the RET gene alterations.

In a first-quarter earnings report, Novo Nordisk announced promising initial data from a phase 2 trial testing the efficacy of glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist semaglutide (Ozempic) in individuals with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

The nation’s top infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, MD, and other health officials are entering various levels of quarantine after potential exposure to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases details how and why it halted a study on remdesivir in patients with COVID-19 early; the president’s economic advisers project rising unemployment rates.

Fatal breast cancers were reduced by 41% and advanced breast cancers by 25% following recommended screening for the disease by mammography in 9 counties in Sweden, emphasizing the importance of early detection.

Triage via text messaging can help providers reach patients in a shorter amount of time, the author says.

The paper appeared a few months before the EMPA-REG OUTCOME trial revealed the potential of a new drug class, the SGLT2 inhibitors, in preventing hospitalization for heart failure.

Expanding access to biosimilar pegfilgrastim (Ziextenzo) for patients at intermediate risk of febrile neutropenia and converting patients at high risk who are on the reference product (Neulasta) could save millions in healthcare costs, according to new study results.

New data suggests white patients who are deficient in vitamin D have lower rates of survival when diagnosed with multiple myeloma. The phenomenon was not seen, however, in African American patients.

A new report on 3 rare cases of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms who developed T-cell malignancies sheds light on red flags clinicians should look for.

Testing will now be possible for those who cannot get to a collection center, including those who are home because they are ill, quarantined, or at high risk of infection due to their age or comorbidities. A Rutgers official said the new method will allow for a dramatic increase in the number of people who can be tested.

A new large-scale study of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasm finds they are at twice the risk of mortality from respiratory disease.

Nivolumab-based first-line treatment is highly effective in patients with early-stage unfavorable classic Hodgkin lymphoma, according to results from the Nivolumab and AVD in Early-Stage Unfavorable Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma trial published in JAMA Oncology.

Compared with tumors smaller than 8 mm among patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, ERBB2-positive (formerly HER2-positive) breast cancer, tumors between 8 and 10 mm benefited more from postoperative chemotherapy.

A proposed bevacizumab biosimilar, BE1040V, was found to be noninferior to its reference product (Avastin) in terms of efficacy for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), according to a study published in Clinical Therapeutics.

This week, the top managed care news included FDA grants emergency use authorization to COVID-19 treatment; dapagliflozin’s new approval breaks ground in SGLT2 competition; and AJMC® gets an inside look at how The Michael J. Fox Foundation is assisting the Parkinson community during the pandemic.

Loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic gel 0.38% (Lotemax SM) from Bausch & Lomb was found to have no meaningful impact on intraocular pressure or visual acuity when administered to patients post surgery, according to a review published in Clinical Drug Investigation.

Guidelines created by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) and the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) address care management and treatment options for patients with psoriasis in relation to the increased risk of developing inflammatory, cardiovascular, and metabolic conditions.

The average sleep recommended for an adolescent is 8 to 10 hours per night, but recent study results show sleep deprivation is a widespread concern among this age group.

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

CMS announced a final payment notice for the 2021 coverage year; experts say children should be more well-represented in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) clinical trials; a new report predicts sharp increases in deaths of despair resulting from the pandemic.

The use of polysomnography (PSG) can aid researchers in further understanding the association between sleep disorders and migraine in children, according to a study published in the Journal of Medicine and Life.

A study published this week found that germline testing of pediatric and young adult patients with cancer demonstrates that some tumors have actionable genetic variants.

Close to 6 million individuals die every year as a direct result of sepsis infection, with a majority of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. The HIV-positive population in sub-Saharan Africa is disproportionately affected by this opportunistic infection.

The patients selected for bronchoscopic lung volume reduction were younger compared with those who were not, the investigators said.

Investigators found no statistically significant evidence associating rotavirus vaccinations with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in children, according to results from a large cohort study published in JAMA Pediatrics.