AJMC Staff

A novel Omicron subvariant, BA.2, was found to be 1.5 times more transmissible than the original Omicron strain; analysis finds drugmakers increased list prices by 6.6% at the beginning of the year; alcohol consumption linked with the development of several cancer types.

The authors said their findings present a better option for pediatric patients with severe disease.

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

Little-known drugs are now contributing to the US overdose epidemic; the Government Accountability Office finds HHS is at "High Risk Alert"; Moderna begins HIV vaccine trial.

Pfizer and Moderna announced commencement of trials for Omicron-specific booster shots; 14.5 million Americans gained health coverage since November 2021; Medicare’s website for consumers to research nursing home staffing is up and running.

A study found 4 factors may correlate with increased risk of long-term COVID-19; Rhode Island joins opioid settlement against McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and Cardinal Health; the Environmental Protection Agency announced it will station mobile equipment in Louisiana to measure air pollution.

Risdiplam is approved for children older than 2 months with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA); an expanded approval would include the youngest infants before they show symptoms.

FDA significantly restricts the use of 2 COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatments ineffective against the Omicron variant; an expert panel advises the Israeli government to offer a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose to adults; there was a substantial increase in visits for mental health and substance abuse among physicians with no prior history during the pandemic.

Sara A. Hurvitz, MD, of UCLA Health spoke with The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) about advanced hormone receptor–positive (HR+), HER2-negative breast cancer and the emergence of CDK4/6 inhibitors with endocrine therapy as the “gold standard” for first-line treatment.

The CDC is working to change its definition of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19; a study finds that men who tested positive for COVID-19 showed a short-term decline in fertility; a nonprofit group of scientists seeks to optimize the clinical trial process and reduce cost.

Featuring abstracts from the Association of Community Cancer Centers, US Oncology, City of Hope, and Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute.

Unvaccinated older adults are 49 times more likely to be hospitalized after contracting COVID-19; nursing homes are experiencing a major staffing crisis; major Alzheimer groups plan to meet with federal officials and lawmakers to protest the CMS drug proposal.

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

Drug makers sign on to help produce Merck’s COVID-19 pill for developing countries; research shows promise for organ transplants from genetically modified pigs; blood sample collection tubes added to FDA list of shortages.

The Biden administration will distribute 400 million nonsurgical N95 masks; a study aims to develop a questionnaire to enable gay and bisexual men to donate blood; counterfeit versions of Gilead HIV treatments were discovered in 9 states.

Natural killer cell therapy CYNK-101 was granted fast track designation by the FDA to treat HER2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma in combination with standard chemotherapy, trastuzumab, and pembrolizumab.

Israeli study finds the added antibody protection from a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose is not enough to prevent Omicron infection; Texas abortion law remains in effect after appeals court ruling; insurer spending for the unproven COVID-19 drug ivermectin was estimated at $2.5 million for a week last summer.

Cloth masks are not as effective at curbing the spread of COVID-19 as surgical masks; Martin Shkreli is banned from the pharmaceutical industry; as infections increase, more COVID-19 variants are likely.

The eosinophilic esophagitis responded to treatment or resolved after the peanut oral immunotherapy stopped.

Senate panel votes to advance Robert Califf, MD, as the new head of the FDA; rising global temperatures spell increased health challenges; Omicron cases may be peaking in some Northeast cities.

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

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine booster can be safely administered alongside a pneumonia vaccine; 3.5 million cancer deaths were prevented in recent decades, but disparities persist; the FDA warns of dental problems linked to a drug to treat opioid use disorder.

The FDA emphasized the need to focus on hospital functions and other essential services; a proposed single-payer health care bill passes the California Assembly; a report found that 80% of patients and 90% of providers trust their pharmacists.

The first FDA-approved acne drug with a first-in-class mechanism of action in nearly 40 years launched in the United States in November 2021 after being approved in August 2020.

President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate for large businesses was met with skepticism from the conservative-majority Supreme Court; COVID-19 hospitalization rates are rising for young children not yet eligible for vaccination; exercise is shown to lower risk of dementia even in those already presenting with symptoms.

The findings showing that older patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) had poor adherence to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) was presented last month during the American Society of Hematology Meeting & Exposition.

Minimal residual disease (MRD) can predict which patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) will relapse after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT).

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

Researchers raise questions on rapid tests' accuracy early in COVID-19 infection; data show dementia prevalence could triple by 2050; COVID-19 vaccines could lead to minor, temporary changes in menstruation cycles.

In a career spanning 45 years, Gabriel N. Hortobagyi, MD, has seen the number of cancer therapies increase from 8-10 for all of oncology to more than 400. Here, he discusses the importance of overall survival in breast cancer as seen in the MONALEESA-2 trial.