AJMC Staff

An experimental cancer drug made 100% of patients’ rectal tumors disappear in a small study; US military members with HIV with an undetectable viral load and no symptoms will no longer face restrictions in deployment or commission; President Biden may sign an executive order on abortion rights depending on the Supreme Court’s ruling.

The FDA this week expanded the use of dupilumab for children aged 6 months to 5 years with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) whose disease is not controlled with topical prescription therapies or when those treatments can't be used.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched an inquiry into the practices of pharmacy benefit managers; FDA advisers overwhelmingly support approval of Novavax, a new COVID-19 vaccine; drug prices soar to 20% annual inflation.

Staff shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to closures for nursing homes; some states lack funding and guidance for the mental health hotline opening next month; 17 states are considering implementing policies to provide Medicaid reimbursement for services of doulas.

Abbott Nutrition has resumed formula production in its Michigan plant to address the nationwide formula shortage; 2 distinct strains of monkeypox may indicate rapid, undetected spread nationwide; the overturn of Roe v Wade could have an effect on in vitro fertilization and genetic testing.

Little data exist on the effectiveness of dupilumab in Black and Hispanic children, even though severe asthma disproportionately affects these populations.

Undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD) is challenging to define but is a distinct clinical entity from connective tissue diseases (CTD).

The label expansion means risdiplam is approved for spinal muscular atrophy for all ages.

The year that full benefits will stop for Medicare and Social Security is now a year later than previously estimated; diagnostic companies are racing to develop tests for monkeypox as cases surge; the rate of firearm suicides increased by 15% in youth aged between ages 10 and 24.

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Regeneron will purchase Sanofi’s stake of cemiplimab (Libtayo) for $900 million in addition to royalties and other possible payments; a patient receives a 3D printed ear implant created using her own cells; the FDA accepts Pfizer’s EUA application for its COVID-19 vaccine for children aged younger than 5.

HHS announces Office of Environmental Justice; CDC says Memorial Day weekend COVID-19 cases were up nearly 6 times over last year; World Health Organization says the monkeypox outbreak is unlikely to lead to a pandemic.

Medicare recipients will see a reduction in premium costs in 2023, although the amount has not yet been announced; the FDA is investigating a hepatitis A outbreak potentially linked to organic strawberries sold by FreshKampo and HEB; approximately 20,640 American adults will be diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2022, data suggest.

Angel Qin, MD, clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Michigan, discusses the need for more clinical trials in small cell lung cancer and for more patients to qualify for trials.

The organizations that can take on 2-sided risk are usually bigger and that’s not always better for health care, said Jayson Slotnik, partner, Health Policy Strategies, Inc.

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Apar Kishor Ganti, MD, who chairs the Small Cell Lung Cancer Committee of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, spoke with The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) about current issues in small cell lung cancer, including the need to include patients in clinical trials who are more representative of those in clinical practice.

The latest mass shooting in a school has sparked a renewed a debate on mental health and gun control in the United States; CVS will stop filling controlled-substance prescriptions ordered by clinicians who work for telehealth companies Cerebral and Done; the FTC launched an inquiry into the ongoing baby formula shortage.

United States birth rate rises from last year but is still lower than pre-pandemic; a drug plant closure in California could affect availability of 5 essential medications; the No Surprises Act prevented 2 million potential surprise bills in first 2 months of 2022, report says.

Medical oncologist Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, spoke with The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) about how treatment options have improved for more advanced melanoma cases and the role that genetic mutations play in choosing therapy.

Pfizer announced positive data of its COVID-19 shot regimen for children under 5 years; providers gear up for increased challenges in distributing abortion medication; hypoallergenic baby formula shipments arrive in the United States.

The study from China sought to evaluate clinical factors associated with survival after recurrence following surgery in ICC.

Julio Chavez, MD, MS, of Moffitt Cancer Center, spoke with The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) about how new approvals will alter decision making in the treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Lawmakers in Oklahoma pass the nation's most restrictive abortion ban; racial disparities in cancer death rates persist; earlier onset of puberty sparks concern among physicians, researchers.

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The first monkeypox case in the United States was confirmed in Massachusetts; identification, measurement, and reduction of specific low-value services could help population health and reduce medical expenditures; President Joe Biden invokes the Defense Production Act to combat formula shortage.

Ryan Haumschild PharmD, MS, MBA, director of Pharmacy Services at Emory Healthcare and Winship Cancer Institute, spoke with AJMC® about health care resource utilization and clinical decision support in the care of patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC).

New FDA legislation will reauthorize FDA user fee agreements for biosimilars, medical devices, and prescription and generic drugs; 7 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in the United Kingdom, but its mode of transmission is still under investigation; according to a budget report, lowering the Medicare eligibility age to 60 would increase federal costs by $155 billion in a 5-year period.

The FDA announces it will streamline the review process to make it easier for foreign manufacturers to ship more formula to the US; researchers in Australia find babies with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) have low levels of butyrylcholinesterase in their blood; the federal government approves a third round of COVID-19 test kits and the FDA is expected to authorize booster shots for children aged 5 to 11 years.

FDA to make an announcement regarding importation of baby formula; first-line use of nivolumab and ipilimumab vs standard of care chemotherapy fails to meet primary end point of overall survival in phase 3 CheckMate 901 trial; study finds link between antibiotic prescriptions and inflammatory bowel disease diagnosis in older adults.