AstraZeneca joins efforts to address high drug prices by capping out-of-pocket costs for its inhalers; Opill, the first OTC birth control pill, is now accessible through online sales; expansion prompts questions on the effectiveness and regulation of remote monitoring technology.
Read More
The HHS Office for Civil Rights is investigating whether patient data were exposed in the cyberattack on Change Healthcare; a new study claims that the US’ high maternal mortality rates are the product of flawed data; HHS secretary is open to drug testing recipients of welfare.
Read More
An appeals court rules against the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America in a 340B contract pharmacy dispute; for-profit investors’ acquisition of nursing homes has raised concerns about the quality of care provided in these facilities; President Joe Biden’s proposed budget for 2025 includes changes that would do away with the current system of biosimilar interchangeability.
Read More
Most private health insurers have yet to publish criteria for when they will cover postpartum depression drug, zuranolone; state lawmakers are increasingly opposing health care mergers that they believe do not serve the public interest; Medicaid extensions made in 2021 led to a 40% decline in postpartum lack of insurance.
Read More
Novo Nordisk is working with authorities in several countries to tackle counterfeit versions of popular diabetes drug semaglutide (Ozempic); Amylyx’s controversial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) drug failed to help patients in a large follow-up study; disruptions from the Change Healthcare cyberattack are costing health providers as much as $1 billion a day.
Read More
The FDA has pushed back its approval deadline for donanemab, Eli Lilly’s experimental Alzheimer’s treatment; Cigna recently announced the launch of a program on aimed at capping annual weight-loss drug cost increases for health insurance providers and employers at 15%; a new monoclonal antibody product to protect against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was 90% effective at preventing children from being hospitalized.
Read More
President Biden will preview his plan to more than double the size of Medicare’s new drug price negotiation program in the upcoming State of the Union address; Mexicans and Central Americans were most affected by the pandemic in terms of all-cause mortality; two Alabama fertility clinics said they expect to resume in vitro fertilization (IVF) services after a bill was passed to protect doctors.
Read More
Blockage of proposed bill that would protect in vitro fertilization (IVF) reignites debate over reproductive rights and health care access; ransomware attack leaves patients and providers stranded; people 65 years and older should get an additional booster for the COVID-19 vaccine, CDC says.
Read More
What We’re Reading: Alabama IVF Ruling; UnitedHealth Antitrust Probe; Food as Medicine Initiative
February 28th 2024Survey highlights widespread opposition to Alabama's law restricting in vitro fertilization (IVF) access; investigation focuses on potential anticompetitive practices; Medicare weighs options for implementing a new program to deliver healthy meals to seniors with chronic conditions.
Read More
COA Asks CMS to Resolve Express Scripts’ “Underwater” Payments Following End of DIR Fees
February 27th 2024The Community Oncology Alliance (COA), which represents independent cancer care practices, has asked CMS to act following a dramatic drop in reimbursements from Express Scripts, Inc. effective January 1, 2024.
Read More
What We’re Reading: Alabama IVF Ruling Impacts; Administrative Task Fees; Nursing Shortage Response
February 26th 2024Patients with cancer express shock and anxiety over the recent ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court regarding frozen embryos; doctors are beginning to charge fees for administrative tasks; some universities are implementing accelerated nursing programs to help with the shortage.
Read More
Teclistamab Approved for Biweekly Dosing in R/R Multiple Myeloma
February 23rd 2024The bispecific antibody is used to treat patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (R/R MM) who have achieved and maintained a complete response for at least 6 months; this approval allows a dosing frequency of 1.5 mg/kg every 2 weeks.
Read More
The House Democratic Women’s Caucus wrote a letter urging insurers to comply with both contraceptive coverage requirements and recent Biden administration guidance; several pharmacy chains are experiencing disruptions following a hack at Change Healthcare, UnitedHealth’s technology unit; the FDA said it is not planning to take a tougher stance against clinical trial reporting requirement noncompliance.
Read More
What We’re Reading: ACA Perception; FDA Blood Sugar Warning; AI and Physician Burnout
February 22nd 2024More than half of US adults have a favorable view of the Affordable Care Act (ACA); smartwatches and rings that claim to measure blood sugar levels without piercing the skin could be dangerous and should be avoided; many believe artificial intelligence (AI) could be the solution to physician burnout.
Read More
The amount of in-network care claims jumped significantly after surprise billing protections took effect; experts say the US is in the midst of the “fourth wave” of the opioid epidemic; the prevalence of long COVID symptoms 30 and 90 days post infection was 43% to 58% lower among adults who were fully vaccinated before infection.
Read More
What We’re Reading: Weight Loss Drug Coverage; COVID Vaccine Potential AEs; Shifting Medicaid Policy
February 20th 2024Insurers grapple with expanding overage for weight loss medications; a new analysis reveals a potential correlation between COVID-19 vaccinations and various adverse effects (AEs); reshaping Medicaid programs remains an ongoing debate about ensuring health care access.
Read More
Vyvgart Phase 3 Extension Study Data Affirm Long-Term Safety, Efficacy in gMG
February 15th 2024Details from the final interim data analysis of the ADAPT+ study confirm previous findings seen with efgartigimod (Vyvgart) in generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), the rare neuromuscular autoimmune disease.
Read More