AJMC Staff

CMS proposed a rule to streamline the prior authorization process and expand health information access; a scathing report urged the FDA to consider restructuring and potentially dividing the agency; the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and American Medical Association (AMA) are coleading the Rise to Health Coalition.

Pfizer requested authorization for its bivalent COVID-19 vaccine for children aged younger than 5 years; most flu viruses from samples are similar to strains chosen by officials for this year's updated vaccines; Alabama Medicaid agreed to end a longstanding policy allowing refusal to pay for antiviral treatment for hepatitis C in patients with a substance use disorder.

The CDC reported that the number of people who were hospitalized with the flu nearly doubled during the week of Thanksgiving; contraception for people producing sperm is finding promising results in clinical trials; marijuana use in children has risen 245% in the last 20 years.

Teenage brains prematurely aged by 3 years during pandemic lockdowns; Washington state health officials report high flu activity and 7 deaths; medical groups ask a Texas judge to refrain from issuing a nationwide injunction against the preventive health screenings covered by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research and news reporting in the health care and mainstream press.

Methotrexate dampens the immune response to vaccines, and a recent study showed that discontinuing treatment for 1 week instead of 2 worked just as well for patients with rheumatoid arthritis getting a flu shot.

The Biden administration plans to end the national emergency that was called for the monkeypox virus outbreak as cases appear to be under control; bisexual and gay men will more easily be able to donate blood under new guidelines set to be released by the FDA; the FDA has paused the emergency use authorization for the monoclonal antibody treatment bebtelovimab.

As of November 23, Twitter is no longer enforcing its COVID-19 misinformation policy; CDC awards more than $3 billion to strengthen the public health infrastructure and workforce; lecanemab appears to slow the spread of Alzheimer disease but is linked to multiple adverse events, symptoms, and deaths.

The groups who told researchers they would be more likely to skip additional testing had lower levels of income or education and were more likely to be on Medicaid or be uninsured, among other factors.

There are good treatment options now for women suffering from pain as a result of their endometriosis, although it can sometimes be difficult to get women to even acknowledge their pain is unusual, said Robin Kroll, MD, medical director, Seattle Clinical Research Center.

US flu hospitalizations increased nearly 30% in the week before Thanksgiving; HHS proposed a rule to align 42 CFR Part 2 privacy protections with existing law to protect patients with substance abuse disorder; New York State saw a decline in opioid prescriptions during the first month of COVID-19 lockdowns.

Nearly 40 million children missed their measles vaccine dose; health experts in the Biden administration are cautiously optimistic about a new campaign for COVID-19 boosters; about 1 in 7 older adults die within a year of having major surgery, according to a new study.

The findings mean that scarring in the esophagus as a result of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) can be found earlier, allowing for more targeted intervention.

It is well-known that depression generally, as well as the demand for mental health care, surged because of the pandemic, but few studies have identified the percentage of individuals who experienced depression for the first time after the pandemic began, or the percentage of those with a history of depression who saw it return.

Task force members from the European Respiratory Society evaluated available evidence for treatment of various manifestations of sarcoidosis but said their recommendations were not the last word.

The HHS announced an increase in individuals seeking coverage from Healthcare.gov; monkeypox will receive a name change to destigmatize the virus; a gene therapy for hemophilia was approved and is now the most expensive in the world.

A new awareness of vitiligo and new treatments coming to market is providing a multitude of options for treating the disease, said Brett King, MD, PhD, associate professor of dermatology, Yale School of Medicine.

The studies reviewed estimates of economic and humanistic impact on both patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) as well as their caregivers.

A report from the World Health Organization highlights the global burden of oral diseases; study shows the predictive value of a “good” cholesterol level varies between Black and White patients; CDC report suggests people with impaired vision are not receiving proper health care.

Covid, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus are overwhelming hospitals across the nation; Pfizer claims its new booster may give protection against new subvariants of the COVID-19 Omicron variant; federal audits reveal overcharges and other payment errors in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.

The study probed the role of body weight on gut permeability and systemic inflammation and the impact on asthma control and asthma status.

High levels of interleukin (IL)-26 levels correlate with an exaggerated inflammatory response that signifies severe cases of the disease, according to researchers.

The authors of the retrospective, observational study said it was the first to use electronic medical records to make direct comparisons of these 4 biologics for asthma.

Cancer diagnoses continue to lag after decreased screening during the pandemic; the Biden administration is avoiding declaring a public health emergency after increases in pediatric respiratory syncytial virus (RSV); US agriculture officials are set to change the federal program that assists low-income pregnant women, infants, and children (WIC) with grocery bills.

Joshua Sabari, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Medical Oncology, Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health, New York, New York, discusses topics involving next generation sequencing (NGS) to develop molecular profiles in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

FDA advisers voted in favor of approving Ardelyx’s tenapanor for patients with chronic kidney disease on dialysis; US home births increased by about 12% between 2020 and 2021; surges in respiratory viruses, especially respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) among younger children are putting pediatric hospitals at capacity.

A Superior Court judge overturned Georgia’s ban on abortion after 6 weeks of pregnancy; President Joe Biden would veto any Senate resolution to terminate the national emergency declared for the COVID-19 pandemic and is also requesting more funding; preterm births increased in 2021, marking the highest rate since 2007.