Less-Educated Whites Dying Younger
A new paper found that middle-aged white Americans with a high school degree or less are dying younger than others in their age group. According to the AP, these individuals have dwindling economic opportunities and poor health. The authors are calling the situation a rise in “deaths of despair,” which includes suicides, drug overdoses, and alcohol-related deaths among this population. The paper is a follow-up on research from 2015 that found an increase in the death rate among middle-aged whites.
Monitoring Pricing for the New Duchenne Drug
After PTC Therapeutics bought Emflaza, a recently approved drug to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the company said it would reexamine the price. Before the company has had a chance to release the new price, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Representative Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland) are requesting information on how PTC plans to price the drug, reported Reuters. Patients had been importing Emflaza before its FDA approval for as little as $1000 a year, but when Marathon received FDA approval, it priced the drug at $89,000 a year. PTC announced last week that it would buy the drug from Marathon.
Instructional Videos to Help Caregivers
Figuring out how to manage medication, give injections, clean catheters, and more can be difficult for family caregivers. However, help is on the way. A new consortium of 15 organizations will provide training and instructional materials for family caregivers, according to Kaiser Health News. The first set of videos (in both English and Spanish) help with caring for seniors using canes or walkers who need help. An additional 9 videos on wound care and additional topics will be added this summer.
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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