CDC advisory group votes to add COVID-19 vaccines to the pediatric immunization schedule; a new report says workplaces can be hazardous to the mental and physical health of Americans; drug makers are lobbying to ease the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act.
CDC Advisory Group Votes to Add COVID-19 to Pediatric Immunization Schedule
In a unanimous 15-to-0 vote, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) approved adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the recommended immunizations for children, according to CIDRAP. States often use the immunization schedule as a guide, but not all states require the vaccines on the schedule. The recommendation came a day after ACIP approved adding vaccines for COVID-19 to a program that provides free vaccines for children who either can’t afford them or who are uninsured.
Work Can Be Hazardous to Mental and Physical Health
Workplaces can be hazardous to Americans’ mental health and well-being, as well as their physical health, according to a new report from the United States Surgeon General. According to STAT, the report drew attention to factors like racism, bullying, and powerlessness at work, which contribute to ill health. The report calls on companies to protect employees from physical harm, by implementing basic safety, and psychological harm, by protecting against harassment. In addition, the report calls for workers to have adequate time off.
Drug Makers Lobby Against Impacts of the IRA
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) gives Medicare the authority to negotiate drug prices for certain therapies, and drug makers are seeking to ease the impact of the law, reported The Wall Street Journal. Both the Biotechnology Innovation Organization and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the 2 largest grade groups for the pharmaceutical industry, say the law threatens investment in drug development without doing enough to lower drug costs for patients. Both groups are working to limit the effect the law will have on drug research.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued letters to 10 companies to warn them that certain drug patents were improperly listed; the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin testing ground beef for bird flu particles; rural Americans are more likely to die early from 1 of the 5 leading causes of death than those who live in urban areas.
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Navigating Health Policy in an Election Year: Insights From Dr Dennis Scanlon
April 2nd 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Dennis Scanlon, PhD, the editor in chief of The American Journal of Accountable Care®, about prior authorization, price transparency, the impact of health policy on the upcoming election, and more.
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OptumRx’s Jon Mahrt Discusses “Irresponsible” Drug Pricing for Products With Multiple Indications
April 30th 2024When the same product comes to market with additional indications, irrational pricing decisions result in ever increasing prices instead of volume translating to lower costs, said Jon Mahrt, MBA, of OptumRX.
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Medicaid, Medicare Policy Changes Could Lead to More Than 25,000 Additional Deaths, Study Says
April 30th 2024Researchers also estimated that more than 700,000 Americans with diabetes could lose insurance coverage if these proposed retractions are put into place, with some new policies already in effect.
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Makers of medical tests will have about 4 years to show the FDA that their new offerings deliver accurate results; after previously decreasing for 27 years, US tuberculosis (TB) cases increased every year since 2020; a US district judge rejected a challenge by Bristol Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson to the Medicare drug price negotiation program.
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