Gianna Melillo

Results from an analysis conducted by the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI) show that the use of Jardiance (empagliflozin) among employees with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease can save employers around $737,000 per 10,000 covered lives each year.

Researchers determined that new diagnostic criteria in the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (ICHD-3) are significantly more specific than that included in ICHD-3 beta when it comes to diagnosing migraine with aura and with typical aura, according to a study published in The Journal of Headache and Pain.

The Supreme Court announced on January 17 it will hear a case regarding employers’ ability to limit access to free birth control under the Affordable Care Act. This marks the third instance the Court has looked at a case regarding applicability of the contraception mandate, but the first time with conservative Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh both on the bench.

A study published in JCI Insight determined miR-543, an RNA gene, plays a significant role in the epigenetic landscape of myelofibrosis, specifically via its targeting of the dioxygenases ten-eleven translocation 1 and 2.

A UK study published in PeerJ compared the results of eye movement tests between younger and older cohorts to confirm brain aging effects.

Rising drug costs in the United States are a pressing concern not only for patients who need to receive those drugs, but also for employers. The Employers’ Prescription for Affordable Drugs is a coalition that aims to tackle this problem by working with policy makers and stakeholders to encourage and facilitate more transparency, competition, and value in the healthcare system.

A new study released in Cell Reports found a common gut bacterium that boosts digestive health may also help guard against Parkinson disease.

Novo Nordisk announced Thursday the FDA has approved injectable semaglutide (Ozempic) for adult patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and known heart disease.

A new study published in PLoS One is the first of its kind to systematically describe and quantify the difference between measured curvature and actual retinal contour of the eye using optical coherence tomography.

The implementation of the Smart Snacks in School standards in 310 public schools resulted in healthier dietary intakes among students compared with those without the standards, according to a JAMA study published January 15.

The costs of disease-modifying drugs for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have almost tripled in 7 years, even with the introduction of generic options in the market, according to a study published by Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of data collected from observational cohort studies reveals several clinical and sociodemographic factors are predictors of chronic migraine.

Accountable care organization (ACO) participation in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) remained flat this year, according to a press release from the National Association of Accountable Care Organizations issued Friday, January 10.

Avalere Health broadcasted its annual Healthcare Industry Outlook for 2020 on January 9. The hour-long discussion included insights on some of the top healthcare topics predicted to have an impact in 2020. Although Medicare and drug pricing took center stage, artificial intelligence, the future of the Affordable Care Act, and 2020 presidential campaign platforms were among the subjects discussed.

This week, the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) released its annual report, Advancing Health Through Innovation: New Drug Therapy Approvals, outlining new drugs approved or marketed in America for the first time.

The use of interferon-beta (IFN-beta) by pregnant patients with multiple sclerosis poses no risk to an infant’s birth weight, length, or head circumference, according to a recent study.

In the first clinical trial of its kind, Danish researchers investigated the efficacy of a combination treatment of ruxolitinib and low-dose pegylated interferon-α2 (PEG-INF α2) in patients with polycythemia vera and myelofibrosis, according to a study published in Haematologica.

Researchers outline numerous benefits of outfitting recipients of cataract surgery with blue-light filtering artificial intraocular lenses (BLF IOLs), as opposed to non-BLF lenses, in a Clinical Ophthalmology study published in December.

In a study published December 26 in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, researchers tested the effects of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation in the occipital cortex of 42 patients with episodic migraine.

A JAMA study covering data from more than 250,000 women found no statistically significant link between the use of powder in the genital area and risk of ovarian cancer among women. This study comes as public outcry has led to scrutiny of one of the nation’s leading talc powder producers, Johnson & Johnson.

The FDA expanded the use of Fiasp, a fast-acting insulin aspart injection, in children as young as 2 years to treat diabetes. First approved for adults in 2017, Novo Nordisk said it is the only "mealtime insulin injection that does not have a pre-meal dosing recommendation.”

In a recently published study in The Journal of Headache and Pain, Italian researchers compiled data on 548 patients suffering from chronic and episodic migraines enrolled in a tertiary level headache center to determine overall costs incurred.

Maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) is associated with leg muscle strength in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but not with walking distance or symptoms exhibited by the same patients, according to a recent study.

From linguistic dissonances of medical terminology to the generation of new care pathways for Medicare patients, the top 5 most-read articles of The American Journal of Accountable Care® spanned topics relevant to both patients and providers in 2019.

A recently published review in Frontiers in Immunology highlights the efficacy of Janus kinase inhibitors as treatments for several dermatological ailments, including psoriasis. Authors described how newly researched pathologic factors have changed therapeutic practices used to treat inflammation and autoimmunity.

In a recently published multicenter clinimetric study, researchers determined the extent to which the American Life Balance Inventory (LBI) is successful in measuring the same factors in several European countries.

In a narrative review published in Frontiers in Neurology, researchers compiled evidence from various studies on the relationship between caffeine and migraines. From the data collected, researchers concluded that the relationship between them remains vague.

Although there were many updates in various facets of diabetes care, one change stood out. New recommendations call for 2 drug classes to be used to treat patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and comorbidities: sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists.

On Friday, December 20, President Trump signed 2 spending packages totaling $1.4 trillion to fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year. The package allows federal funds to be allocated to the National Institutes of Health and CDC for the purpose of conducting research on gun violence for the first time in 2 decades.

A recently published study amassed real-world evidence from patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), concluding that “there has been a closing of the gap in COPD prevalence among both genders.”