AJMC Staff

President Joe Biden announces plans to improve baby formula shortages; Massachusetts reaches settlement with veterans who contracted COVID-19 in long-term care facility; a quarter of Medicare beneficiaries were harmed from hospital stays in 2018.

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A Senate vote to protect abortion access nationwide failed; drug overdoses hit a record high in the United States during 2021; the European Union lifted its travel mask recommendation.

Firearm homicide jumped by nearly 35% between 2019 and 2020; nearly 400 million COVID-19 vaccines were destroyed at Emergent BioSolutions’s Baltimore facility; a study found high blood pressure in younger people may be associated with negative cognitive effects later in life.

Michael Shafique, MD, an assistant professor of thoracic oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center, spoke with The American Journal of Managed Care® about efforts to characterize small cell lung cancer (SCLC) into subtypes as well as the process for treatment selection in this disease.

COVID-19–related hospitalizations are up 17% week over week; an estimated 5 to 14 million Americans could lose their Medicaid coverage this year or next year; the CDC is investigating unexplained cases of severe hepatitis in children.

US Senate to vote this week on legislation seeking to codify abortion rights into law; hospitals aiming to raise treatment prices in response to increasing nurse salaries; shortage of infant formula worsening nationwide.

Subjective associations of poor sleep are known to be linked with worse health-related quality of life in Parkinson disease, but correlating objective measures are harder to find.

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New global data put the COVID-19 death toll at just under 15 million; the FDA issues a warning limiting use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine; US sees increase in aggressive uterine cancer cases.

So far, the wonders of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy have only been seen in blood cancers. Investigators at Moffitt Cancer Center report findings that show a potential target in solid tumors.

The United States surpasses 1 million deaths from COVID-19; the Biden administration is looking into providing grants for emergency contraception if the Supreme Court cuts abortion rights; global food insecurity hit an all-time high in 2021.

Half of US states are expected to restrict or ban abortion following the Supreme Court’s leaked draft majority opinion; Bayer’s darolutamide (Nubeqa) received FDA priority review as a treatment for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer; Biogen stops marketing its controversial Alzheimer drug as its CEO plans to step down.

Anne Chiang, MD, PhD, an associate professor of medicine in the Section of Medical Oncology at Yale School of Medicine, specializes in thoracic oncology, with a background in translational research in metastasis. Chiang spoke with The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) about monitoring patients with SCLC, developing treatments for patients who relapse, and the importance of patient-reported outcomes (PROs).

The drug, oteseconazole, is an azole antifungal indicated to reduce the incidence of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis in females who are infertile or postmenopausal.

The Supreme Court may vote to overturn abortion rights; Washington state reaches a $518 million settlement with 3 opioid distributors; a new study finds 7 hours of sleep is the optimal total for people of middle and old ages.

Kami J. Maddocks, MD, professor of clinical internal medicine in the Division of Hematology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, spoke with The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) about treatment approaches for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

The FDA sets a tentative date for a decision on authorizing a COVID-19 vaccine in children under 5 years of age; the American Academy of Pediatrics will review all of its guidance for unproven race-based recommendations contributing to health disparities; the FDA rejects 2 China-tested cancer treatments.

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A new drug has been approved for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM); Oklahoma enacts a strict abortion ban; whistleblower claims alarms had been raised about Abbott baby formula contamination.

Avalere is presenting at Asembia’s 2022 Specialty Pharmacy Summit, and Ryan Urgo, MPAP, managing director, health policy, discusses possible drug pricing policy options on the table for the Biden administration to consider in a midterm election year.

Investigators have found that Medicare Advantage plans were denying care that should be covered for tens of thousands of people; Anthony Fauci, MD, claimed that the United States is in the transition phase of the pandemic; measles cases rose by 79% in 2022.

Martin Dietrich, MD, PhD, of Florida Cancer Specialists spoke with The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) on risk factors in melanoma, as well as the need for genomic testing and rapid action for a cancer that can progress very quickly.

Incomplete applications are the main cause for delays in COVID-19 vaccine authorization for children under age 5; tobacco smoking rates dropped among adults with major depression and/or substance use disorder; scientists found an association between exposure to “forever chemicals" and liver damage.

Elevated prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder seen in family members of patients with COVID-19 treated in intensive care units; 9 rare respiratory cancers linked with burn pit exposure among veterans; adenovirus suggested as potential cause of unexplained cases of pediatric hepatitis.

The US government is increasing access of Pfizer's COVID-19 antiviral pill to all pharmacies nationwide; stark hospitalization rates in unvaccinated children; a steady increase observed in US influenza cases and hospitalizations.

The CDC alerted doctors to look for symptoms of pediatric hepatitis following a cluster of unexplained cases of severe liver inflammation; President Joe Biden has released a national drug control strategy to prioritize harm reduction and treatment; kindergarten students fell behind on routine vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking to appeal a federal judge’s ruling on the CDC’s travel mask mandate; the FDA issues a warning for harmful drug ingredients in dietary supplements; Florida's Department of Health releases its guidance on transgender care for young people.

CDC launches a new center to forecast infectious diseases; Alabama reaches settlement with opioid manufacturers; lack of diversity seen in Alzheimer disease trials.