AJMC Staff

A study presented at the 47th Society of Gynecologic Oncology meeting held in San Diego, found that women with ovarian cancer who received statin therapy in tandem with their cancer treatment had better survival.

The cancer drug, best known as a game-changer for chronic myeloid leukemia, lowers insulin resistance through a similar mechanism as TZDs without the negative effects.

What we're reading, March 28, 2016: Covered California mishap with insured consumers' tax forms; Ted Cruz needs to outline his Obamacare replacement plan; and Google's life sciences startup runs into trouble.

What we're reading, March 25, 2016: Congress went on its spring recess without voting on Zika emergency funding; HealthCare.gov has more than 300 cybersecurity incidents; and Indiana's Medicaid expansion model has caught the attention of other conservative states.

What we're reading, March 24, 2016: Valeant doubles the price of aid-in-dying drug; the Supreme Court seems split on contraception case; and less than 3% of Americans meet qualifications for a healthy lifestyle.

What we're reading, March 23, 2016: moderate alcohol consumption may not have any health benefits; Johnson & Johnson researching the development of 2 diseases; and 2 more California hospitals received ransom demands from hackers.

What we're reading, March 22, 2016: the reduction of the uninsured rate was driven mostly by the Affordable Care Act, not economic recovery; heart disease rates dropped; and participation in meaningful use program declines.

According to reports, the dispute centers on the terms of a repricing provision in the current contract.

What we're reading, March 21, 2016: government action to lower drug prices unlikely; women live longer than men but face more years of disability; and the movement to give nurses more autonomy.

What we're reading, March 18, 2016: Covered California is considered removing hospitals with poor performance from the exchange; an outbreak in Wisconsin spreads to Michigan; #ZikaVirus infection in the US climbs to 450.

What we're reading, March 17, 2016: doctors who receive more industry money prescribe more brand name drugs; researchers project risk of Zika virus transmission in the US; and use of generic Gleevec could save $100,000 per patient.

What we're reading, March 16, 2016: there is a big divide between the rural and urban health; exercise is rarely prescribed for chronic conditions; and NFL executive acknowledges link between football and degenerative brain disease.

Idelalisib has presented serious adverse events in combination trials in both the US and Europe.

What we're reading, March 15, 2016: Bernie Sanders proposes a prize fund to spur drug development for HIV/AIDS; one news outlet is going to court to unseal documents related to OxyContin's marketing; and report highlights the emotional trauma healthcare providers face after making a serious medical error.

What we're reading, March 14, 2016: hospitals implement new ways to combat skyrocketing drug prices; some Affordable Care Act's health insurance co-ops could see profits in 2016; and patient anxiety decreases when hospitalists show more empathy.

Researchers noted the link but could not explain the cause and effect.

What we're reading: California's assisted suicide law will take effect June 9; a majority of drugs in Medicare Part D require coinsurance; and Senate passes opioid abuse bill 94-1.

What we're reading, March 10, 2016: spending on drug advertisements up 60% over 4 years; lawsuit between Gilead and Merck over hepatitis C virus drugs; and Tennessee considers allowing pharmacists to prescribe contraceptives.

The study found that being out of shape aerobically and having poor muscle strength made a young man 3 times more likely to develop diabetes as he got older.

What we're reading, March 9, 2016: prescription drugs accounted for 16.7% of US healthcare spending in 2015; the FDA will allow Amarin to promote a prescription fish oil for off-label uses; and racial disparities for infant mortality persist.

21st Century Oncology has informed patients that their patient database was compromised late last year.

What we're reading, March 8, 2016: rate of unplanned pregnancies in the US is at a 30-year low; doctors told they are overprescribing addictive medicines don't change their behavior; and despite Obamacare, surprise medical bills find a way.

What we're reading, March 7, 2016: urgent care is being used as a bridge between the primary care doctor's office and the emergency room; a task force calls for physicians to employ team-based care; and the government will meet to craft a plan for the Zika virus.

What we're reading, March 4, 2016: Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, 20 million people have signed up for healthcare coverage; the FDA has a backlog of 4000 drug applications waiting for approval; and Flint, Michigan, receives expanded Medicaid coverage.

The study is the most recent to suggest that obesity leads to alterations in brain function in the area that regulates memory.

What we're reading, March 3, 2016: additional funding for the opioid abuse bill was shot down in the Senate; Donald Trump releases his plan to replace Obamacare; and Christine Cassel, MD, discusses designing a new medical school.

What we're reading, March 2, 2016: FDA commissioner pledges stronger efforts to develop harder-to-abuse painkillers; Olympus Corp. agrees to largest settlement for violating anti-kickback laws; and the Supreme Court hears Texas abortion case with just 8 members on the bench.

What we're reading, March 1, 2016: physicians greet Merck's new hepatitis C drug with caution; 20% of Puerto Ricans could be infected with the Zika virus in 2016; and nearly $3 billion wasted in cancer medicines.

As the health insurance markets continue to evolve, CMS today released the final rule to set standards for plans and the health insurance marketplaces.

What we're reading, February 29, 2016: hospital readmission declines tied to Obamacare program; Medicare negotiating powers may not have a large impact; and Aetna is on board with Affordable Care Act exchanges again.