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A literatur survey concludes that the efficacy of recombinant activated factor VII administered by continuous infusion (rFVIIa CI) in patients with congenital hemophilia with inhibitors or congenital factor VII deficiency undergoing surgery and during bleeding episodes appears to be high and comparable to that of rFVIIa delivered by bolus injection.

A recent study aimed to identify the characteristics of patients who demonstrate the greatest exacerbation risk reduction with roflumilast, finding that the medication is most successful in patients with prior hospitalization, greater exacerbation frequency, and higher baseline blood eosinophil count.

Patients who visit the emergency department for pain are often asked to categorize their pain level using a visual scale of numbered faces. However, a recent study suggests the efficacy of a more empirical approach, through the use of an electroencephalography (EEG)-based test, that would be beneficial for both patients and physicians.

Recently, 6 European organizations appealed a European Patent Office (EPO) decision to uphold Gilead Science’s patent on the hepatitis C drug sofosbuvir, sold as Sovaldi.

December 2-8, 2018, marks the annual National Influenza Vaccination Week. Here are 5 things to know about getting your flu shot.

CMS said Friday that it issued a final rule about insurer risk-adjustment payments for 2018, saying it wanted to provide consistency while the outcome of a court case about the issue is still in play.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive neurological disease that requires timely management, and a panel of neurologists has developed an internationally applicable standard of care for timely management in patients with MS.

According to a study presented at the 60th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting & Exposition, held December 1-4 in San Diego, California, a World Health Organization–defined diagnosis of primary myelofibrosis may help better identify patients who may need strict monitoring during treatment with ruxolitinib.

An investigation in South Dakata has found that dozens of patients have died needlessly due to errors made in Indian Health Service (HIS) facilties in the state; a recent case of a Michigan woman resorting to crowdfunding to pay for post-transplant care in order to get on an organ transplant list sparked outrage, but requiring proof of payment for organ transplants and post-operative care is common; a judge in Maine denied a request by the outgoing GOP Governor Paul LePage to stay an order that the state implement Medicaid expansion, which was approved by voters last year.

In a new commentary, scientists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) assert that engaging men in HIV prevention and care is essential for ending the HIV pandemic.

Just because a patient nods and does not ask any questions during a health encounter, does not mean that patient truly understands the information that was communicated. Providers need to examine how they are delivering that information, what terminology they are using, and whether they are checking patients truly understand what they were told.

This week, the top managed care news included a CDC report that found life expectancy in the United States declined again; telemedicine use among physicians remains low; another study added to the debate over who should take statins.

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

A study published in the European Respiratory Journal suggests that in addition to elevated blood eosinophil counts, baseline clinical factors can help identify patients who would potentially be responsive to benralizumab (Fasenra), among patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma with eosinophilic inflammation.

CMS actuaries reported Thursday that overall national healthcare spending growth slowed for the second year in a row, due to slower spending growth in every area: hospital care, physician and clinical services, and retail prescription drugs. The slower pace also stemmed from the expanded coverage effects of the Affordable Care Act taking root in 2014 and 2015 and then falling off, as well as the decrease in usage of hepatitis C prescription drugs.

A median 19-month follow-up of the JULIET trial—a single-arm, open-label, multicenter, global, pivotal phase 2 trial of the chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapy tisagenlecleucel directed against CD19-expressing B cells—has found a 40% complete response and a manageable safety profile in adult patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Think tank RAND is suggesting that long-time heroin users who have failed on other treatments might be treated with pharmaceutical-grade heroin; House Democrats want more scrutiny on healthcare mergers as consolidation continues to lead to rising prices; a new study has found that migrants tend to be healthier and live longer than residents of the wealthy countries that they are traveling to.

The authors say while guidelines look at the benefits of statins to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD), they do not adequately assess the harms. The new model takes this into account.

A recent study compared the time to AIDS and mortality and the CD4 T-cell dynamics between HIV-1 and HIV-2, finding that both groups have a high probability of developing and dying from AIDS without antiretroviral treatment.

A new study has recommended updated cutoffs for synovial effusion and hypertrophy to help screen for patients with symptomatic radiographic knee osteoarthritis.

Researchers at the 60th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting & Exposition presented long-term study results showing that high rates of minimal residual disease–negative complete response were sustained with a median duration of over 4 years among treatment-naïve patients with multiple myeloma.

A kidney transplant patient treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for a chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection showed reactivation of the hepatitis B virus (HBV), which proved fatal. The authors of the report recommend a call to action for including HBV testing as part of the patient’s work-up in transplant recipients who are on immunosuppressants, especially in the context of abnormal liver tests.

https://www.pharmacytimes.org/on-demand/an-american-journal-of-managed-care-supplement-managing-costs-and-advancements-in-biosimilars

Propeller Health, a digital health company that makes sensors to track patient use of respiratory inhalers used for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, is being snapped up by ResMed, which makes connected devices for respiratory care.

Among patients with pancreatic cancer being treated with modified FOLFIRINOX, those who develop severe neutropenia have significantly longer median overall survival, as well as longer time to treatment failure, compared with those who do not develop severe neutropenia.

New research finds migraine with aura is associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), which may help provide a clearer picture of the relationship between the migraine subtype and cardioembolic stroke, as AF is a common source of cardioembolic stroke.

A new prescription benefit option at CVS Health will guarantee that clients can receive 100% of any rebates, discounts, or other fees that drug makers pay; a new 10-minute blood test can detect cancer cells anywhere in the human body; a new study has found that sending young patients home with opioids after getting their wisdom teeth removed can set a path of opioid use and abuse.

In this series, we have used the recent announcement by CVS Health regarding a strategy to lower drug prices as an example to review basic pharmacoeconomic principles. For Part 3, we are going to discuss various stakeholders and how each might view the results of decisions based off of pharmacoeconomic analyses.

A newly published study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing finds that heavy alcohol consumption poses a risk for suboptimal long-term weight loss among patients with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

In 2016, 15.4% of physicians worked in practices that used telemedicine for a wide spectrum of patient interactions, including e-visits, and 11.2% of physicians worked in practices that used telemedicine for interactions between physicians and healthcare professionals.