The Supreme Court seems likely to reject a challenge to the abortion pill mifepristone; the FDA is inspecting far fewer pharmaceutical companies conducting clinical research; AstraZeneca has sued to block an Arkansas law that it said would unlawfully expand the 340B program to include for profit-pharmacy chains.
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New Treatments for Newly Diagnosed MM Offer a Lot of Benefit, but Key Knowledge Gaps Remain
March 25th 2024While there is, rightfully, a lot of optimism around the latest treatments for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, not everyone is gaining the same benefit, said Kenneth Shain, MD, PhD, of H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center.
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The White House has called out the Republican Study Committee’s budget proposal for backing legislation that would put restrictions on abortion access; nearly 108,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2022; surgeons in Boston have transplanted a kidney from a genetically engineered pig into an ailing 62-year-old man.
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CMS is highly likely to negotiate the price of the obesity medication semaglutide in the coming years; many health care providers are trying to determine whether their cyberattack insurance will help cover their losses after the Change Healthcare hack; the US life expectancy increased for the first time in 2 years.
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A global AIDS program that was in limbo for months got temporary relief after congressional negotiators agreed to a 1-year renewal in the next government funding package; the outcome of the November presidential election could determine the state of fetal tissue research in the US; federal officials and industry executives failed to make improvements that stop hacking attacks.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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