All News

In some instances, migraine can be treated without medicine, meaning some patients with migraine can cut down on their medication use, according to a new study that demonstrated efficacy with an inhaler that slightly changes the body’s own molecules.

The number of infants born through caesarean section (C-section) almost doubled between 2000 and 2015—from 12% to 21% of all births—according to The Lancet. The surgery is still unavailable for many women in low-income countries and regions, yet is overused in many middle- and high-income settings, said the journal, which published a series of papers on the topic Thursday.

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

Practices in the US Oncology Network received an average positive payment adjustment under the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) of 1.90% for performance in 2017, and 99% of the Network’s physicians were in the top tier of performers. The maximum allowable adjustment is 2.02%. The adjustment based on a clinician’s performance in 2017 impacts the clinician's Medicare reimbursement for 2019.

This week, the top managed care news included the Department of Justice giving the green light for the CVS–Aetna merger; premiums for employer insurance plans are on the rise; and the new North American trade deal includes protections for drug makers that will hurt biosimilars.

Two of the 3 largest drug distributors are on track to exceed the levels of their congressional campaign donations from 2016; the CDC reports that a growing number of preschoolers and kindergartners are not receiving their immunizations for vaccine-preventable diseases; genetic information posted online can be used to identify relatives who never participated in the DNA testing or agreed to share their personal information.

Today, HHS announced that approximately $2.34 billion in Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grants were awarded to cities, counties, states, and local community-based organizations during fiscal year 2018.

Insurers have inconsistent policy terms for nondrug treatments for low back pain while providing limited or no coverage for treatments that have scientific support, such as acupuncture and psychological counseling, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

CMS said Thursday that the average 2019 premium charged for the silver level of health insurance in the exchanges set up by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) dropped slightly for the first time since 2014, and Seema Verma, who heads CMS, credited the actions of the Trump administration for the lower premiums.

Although patients have the right of access to their protected health information, actual access remains limited. A new study, published in JAMA Network Open, has found that the processing of requesting medical records remains burdensome despite policy efforts.

A retrospective study by Houtchens et al on annual pregnancy rates from 2006 to 2014 reveals that US women with multiple sclerosis (MS) had increased pregnancy rates as compared to women without MS.

Senate Democrats were 1 vote short of overturning the Trump administration's expansion of short-term health plans; Celltrion’s CT-P10, a biosimilar to cancer drug Rituxan, received the unanimous support of an FDA advisory panel; Centene will enter 4 new states—North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Tennessee—and expand offerings in 10 markets in 2019.

Tisagenlecleucel's high price is aligned with the benefit the chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy provides over a patient's life. Approximately 40% of patients treated are expected to be long-term survivors.

Abnormal concentrations of inflammatory markers detected in children with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) support the theory that children with ALL are born with dysregulated immune function.

Although researchers observed improvements when incorporating several new comorbidities into chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia risk factors, the improvements were small and might not be clinically relevant.

Giving zoledronate every 18 months for 6 years reduced the risk of fragility fractures—both vertebral and nonvertebral—in older women with hip bone mineral density indicating osteopenia, a recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine reported.

This week, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) published new guidelines for patients centered around neuroendocrine tumors.

Researchers compiled data from 2 studies demonstrating the safety and efficacy of erenumab at 4 weeks and found that the treatment resulted in a reduction of weekly migraine days as early as week 1.

The deal could lead to the transformation of CVS' drug stores into retail medical centers. The American Medical Association opposes the plan.

Research at the University of Washington is exploring the possibility of triggering one gene to take over the function of another with a common mutation that triggers acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

In order to address disparities, say the authors, it will be key to maintain policies associated with better outcomes for low-income communities, such as the expansion of Medicaid, that could provide access to affordable cancer care.

When consumers try to sign up for Affordable Care Act health plans on the federal marketplace, they may encounter hours-long downtime for the site; the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement would increase pharmaceutical exclusivity from 8 years to 10 years, delay access to competition from biosimilar biologics; Medicare is considering paying for telemedicine for a 5-minute check-in call, but physicians question the proposal.

Under the current administration, CMS has made several good-faith attempts to revitalize the current healthcare system. These efforts demonstrate CMS’ commitment to move our industry closer to value-based payment and consumer-centered delivery models. However, each of these reforms exhibits concerning characteristics.

A recent study determined that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) had similar tumor microenvironment, but higher tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) exhaustion, than patients without COPD. The use of an anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) antibody, nivolumab, was also demonstrated to be effective in this population.

According to the 2018 benchmark Kaiser Family Foundation Employer Health Benefits Survey, annual premiums for family and single coverage have increased in 2018 and the burden of deductibles continues to grow on employees. However, as premiums rise, so does employer investment in health and wellness programs for their employees.

Last week, the FDA granted approval to immune checkpoint inhibitor cemiplimab-rwlc, to be sold as Libtayo, for the treatment of metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC), or in patients with locally advanced CSCC who are not candidates for curative surgery or curative radiation.

A medical social network for physicians said it has compiled data that pinpoint the top 50 metropolitan areas where shortages of oncologists are expected to occur in the coming years. Doximity said the findings in its 2018 National Oncologists Workforce report are drawn from retirement trends, the percentage of state-trained specialists, and the prevalence of breast cancer.

This series of pharmacoeconomics posts will explore the meaning of $100,000/quality-adjusted life year (QALY) and why it might matter to these 4 P’s: patients, payers, providers, and pharma. Part 1 focuses on definitions and a basic calculation.