Clinical

According to a study conducted in the United Kingdom, statins can reduce the risk of dying from breast, prostate, lung, and bowel cancer.

In an unusual case, a patient was diagnosed with febrile neutropenia after starting benazepril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor. The treatment is rarely associated with agranulocytosis, which is defined as severe neutropenia.

While discussion of value frameworks has grown in academic and policy meeting settings, physician education on the subject is still in its very early stages, said Steven D. Pearson, MD, MSc, president of the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review.

The cost of maternity care varies greatly across the top 30 major US cities and a recent study found that the west coast may actually be the most expensive.

This week in managed care, the top stories included a report on how much Americans spend on complementary health approaches, more trouble with the Affordable Care Act's risk adjustment program, and researchers linked the BRCA1 gene to deadly uterine cancer.

A nomogram could help to predict patients at risk of Grade 4 neutropenia during treatment, according to a study published in Clinical Genitourinary Cancer.

What we're reading, July 8, 2016: Aetna will meet with the Department of Justice to discuss Humana purchase; Pfizer will disclose serious risk of addiction when marketing opioids; and US insurers' spending on prescription drugs nearly quadrupled from 2003 to 2014.

The FDA has asked Juno Therapeutics to halt the phase 2 clinical trial of JCAR015 in adult patients with relapsed or refractory B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the ROCKET trial.

What we're reading, July 7, 2016: the House passed legislation to overhaul mental health care; the NFL is accused of being quick to hand out powerful painkillers; and one student outlines 5 ways to reform medical schools.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has published a paper that shares the various innovative approaches developed by the society for guideline development and implementation.

A federal appeals court has overturned a previous ruling and decided that biosimilar manufacturers must provide the innovator company a 180-day notice only after receiving FDA-approval for its biosimilar product.

What we're reading, July 6, 2016: the Department of Veterans Affairs has made progress, but still has a long way to go; court upholds 6-month delay for biosimilars; and Apple promotes organ donation with iPhone app.

The approval was based on the results of the phase 3 ENDEAVOR study.

Researchers from the Duke Cancer Institute have discovered that mutations in the BRCA1 gene can dramatically increase the probability of a woman developing serous or serous-like endometrial carcinoma.

If dementia goes undiagnosed, people with dementia run the risk of unsafe activities such as driving, cooking, and managing finances and medication.

After reviewing the evidence for all approved hepatitis C virus treatments, Advera Health has determined that Gilead Sciences’ newly approved, pan-genomic Epclusa has a similar safety profile as Sovaldi, Harvoni, Daklinza, and Viekira Pak.

A majority of people surveyed in California and Hawaii supported physician-assisted death. There was even a majority of support among respondents who said religion or spirituality was very important to them.

What we're reading, June 30, 2016: concerns over Anthem-Cigna deal may mean the government moves to block the merger; why the price of childhood vaccines is actually too low; and saturated fats are not as bad as once thought.

What we're reading, July 4, 2016: a hospital is offering free housing to get super-utilizers out of the emergency room; campaigns for patients to gain access to stem cell treatments are gaining momentum; and why hospital/physician integration and consolidation probably won't lower costs.

In the last 5 years urgent care has seen a rise in popularity. Here are 5 facts about urgent care clinics.

What we're reading, June 30, 2016: one doctor makes the case for the FDA moving away from a simple approval/no approval system; Massachusetts and Gilead come to an agreement over hepatitis C drug rebates; and Georgia considers Medicaid expansion.