CDC Data Indicate Sharp Rise in Alzheimer’s Deaths
According to new data published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, age-adjusted rates of deaths with Alzheimer’s disease as the underlying cause increased by 54.5% over 15 years. In 2014, 25.4 Alzheimer’s-related deaths per 100,000 people, compared with just 16.5 per 100,000 in 1999. The report also indicated that more people are dying from Alzheimer’s at home, and less are dying in a hospital, which likely means that more family members are struggling with the burden of caregiving.
Trial Finds Cannabidiol Reduced Seizures in Children With Dravet Syndrome
A randomized controlled trial has found that cannabidiol, a component of cannabis, significantly reduced the occurrence of seizures in children with Dravet syndrome whose seizures were not controlled with traditional medications. According to the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, seizure frequency decreased by 38.9% in the group receiving cannabidiol, although this group was also more likely to report adverse events like sleepiness and high levels of liver enzymes.
Insurers Press Senate for a Definite Answer on Subsidies
With time running out until the deadline for insurers to submit their 2018 rates, America’s Health Insurance Plans has written a letter to the Senate pleading for certainty on whether insurers will continue to receive cost-sharing reduction subsidies; if not, they say they will have to hike premiums. According to Modern Healthcare, the letter reminded Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), chair of the Senate Finance Committee, that “the timeline is extremely short to advance these crucial steps to improve stability and affordability for consumers in the individual market and have a positive impact on 2018 premiums."
NCCN Guidelines Update Adds Momelotinib Below Ruxolitinib for High-, Low-Risk Myelofibrosis
January 23rd 2024Momelotinib was given category 2A and 2B status for patients with high- and low-risk myelofibrosis (MF) and MF with anemia. However, ruxolitinib retains a higher category of recommendation as a treatment for patients with MF.
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Oncology Onward: A Conversation With Dr Shereef Elnahal, Under Secretary for Health
April 20th 2023Shereef Elnahal, MD, MBA, under secretary for health at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), sat for a conversation with our hosts Emeline Aviki, MD, MBA, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Stephen Schleicher, MD, MBA, Tennessee Oncology, that covered the cancer footprint of the VHA.
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Interventions Needed to Increase DMT Uptake in Sickle Cell Disease
December 26th 2023A recent study found that uptake of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) has been low among patients with sickle cell disease, suggesting that more interventions that consider individual patient characteristics are needed to improve adoption.
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Exploring Payer Coverage Decisions Following FDA Novel Drug Approvals
May 3rd 2022On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Ari D. Panzer, BS, lead author and researcher, then at Tufts Medical Center—now at Duke University—discusses the findings from his team’s investigation into coverage decisions by health plan insurers of the 66 drugs approved by the FDA in 2018.
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Exagamglogene Autotemcel Meets End Points in Severe Sickle Cell Disease, β-Thalassemia
December 7th 2023Two posters set to be presented at the 65th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting & Exposition met their primary and secondary end points regarding exagamglogene autotemcel therapy for sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia.
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