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This week, the top managed care news included 44 states suing drug makers for price fixing; Gilead pledging to donate pre-exposure prophylaxis for up to 200,000 people for up to 11 years; Philadelphia soda tax reduced consumption of sugary drinks.

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

The Trump administration is backing off a proposal that would have allowed private Medicare plans to refuse to pay for certain drugs for chronic conditions that experience steep price hikes; 5 more states have sued Purdue Pharma, alleging the company llegally marketed and sold opioids; bariatric surgery may offer more benefits for adolescents than adults.

Stubborn racial disparities mean that the rate of new HIV inections was 93% higher among black women than it would have been if the rate were the same as white women.

For people with disabilities, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) helped to reduce uninsurance and healthcare that was delayed or never received, but it did not totally eliminate disparities, according to new research.

Venetoclax (Venclexta) has received FDA approval in combination with obinutuzumab (Gazyva) for the treatment of adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), offering a chemotherapy-free regimen for patients with previously untreated disease.

Cure rates for Hodgkin lymphoma are high, but survivors may live for decades with side effects from chemotherapy. Finding a new treatment target could lead to fewer toxic effects.

https://www.pharmacytimes.org/on-demand/an-american-journal-of-managed-care-managing-treatment-gaps-with-pcsk9-inhibitors

In oncology, precision medicine is already well established with targeted therapies approved based on the patient’s genetic makeup or genetic variants of their tumor, and using precision medicine successfully means also using diagnostics and next-generation sequencing (NGS). Last year, CMS finalized coverage of NGS tests, which are to be used to identify patients that may benefit the most from approved treatments. And it looks like other payers may be following CMS’ lead.

US birth rates have declined for the fourth year in a row; Gilead's chief executive officer (CEO) is expected to testify before a House committee about Truvada pricing; nonprofit generic drug company Civica Rx has chosen the first 2 antibiotics that it will produce.

A health tracking app that monitors asthma control in children in real time and sends medication reminders successfully reduced emergency department visits as well as the use of inhaled corticosteroids, according to a new study.

The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization, this week released the latest hospital safety grades for Spring 2019 in addition to a report compiled in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality that assessed the number of deaths due to errors, accidents, injuries and infections at all rated hospitals.

A new computer application could easily and reliably predict the short-term risk of adverse outcomes and guide treatment options for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who visited an emergency department due to an exacerbation.

The Alabama Senate has approved a bill that would ban almost all abortions in the state, regardless of whether pregnancies were caused from rape or incest; Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro has sued Purdue Pharmaceuticals over the company's role in the opioid epidemic; the Justice Department has decided the FDA can't regulate death penalty drugs.

Researchers say by targeting a protein that assists KRAS mutations, they have overcome the challeges of resistance to treatment in a mouse model.

Blood eosinophil (EOS) counts of 150 cells/mcL or greater were associated with increased chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)–related healthcare resource utilization compared with EOS counts less than 150 cells/mcL, regardless of multiple inhaler triple therapy use.

Voxelotor, a first-in-class oral therapy, is both safe and effective in sickle cell disease, according to a phase 1/2 randomized study assessing the drug. These findings were consistent across all doses, ranging from 500 to 1000 mg.

In a large survey of patients with migraine taking an oral, acute prescription migraine medication, most had unmet needs, according to survey results presented recently at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

Patients with primary care appointments in the morning were more likely to have orders for and receive recommended breast and colorectal cancer screenings.

Findings from a new study have shown that sales of sweetened drinks fell by 38% after Philadelphia implemented a tax on sugary beverages.

A California jury found that the weed killer, Roundup, caused a couple's cancer and awarded $2 billion in damages; a federal appeals court will decide if and how states could end federal Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood; Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signs a new law raising the age for nicotine-related product purchases from 18 to 21.

Damage to mitochondria, which can occur from exposure to cigarette smoke and environmental pollutants, leads to a surge in the creation of osteoclasts that break down bone.

As pharmaceutical manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers point fingers over who is responsible for high drug prices, employers have the opportunity to demand change to business as usual, consultant Chris Robbins of Arxcel says.

Several generic drug manufacturers are accused of price-fixing in a lawsuit; the state of Washington offers residents a universally available public option for health insurance; bills proposed by states to limit vaccine exemptions have stalled.

Even though Northwestern Medicine is projected to sustain a loss in the new Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced, it plans to participate because doing so will position Northwestern Medicine as best possible to manage future challenges in episodes of care.

Adults with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) who are treated with ozanimod have less gray matter volume loss than patients treated with interferon, according to a post hoc analysis from the phase 3 RADIANCE Part B trial. The research was presented at the 2019 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting.

As National Nurses' week comes to a close, more attention needs to be brought to increasing rates of violence against employees in the field of healthcare.

Intranasal insulin treatment may have the potential to improve motor functions and verbal fluency in patients with Parkinson disease.

A recent study examined associations of comorbid migraine with other painful physical symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder at 2 years, and results suggested there might be benefit to integrating care for those with both depression and headache.

Researchers have identified a new target in the mitochondria of cancer cells that indicate the potential of a treatment class for certain blood cancers.