Latest Conference Articles

At a session during the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy 2017 Nexus meeting, a public policy expert argued that despite all of the news surrounding the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the US healthcare system may not see fundamental changes anytime soon.

The COMPASS trial results could reshape the standard of care for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and peripheral artery disease (PAD), according to Deepak Bhatt, MD, MPH, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

In light of recent guidance from the FDA on appropriate communications between payers and drug manufacturers prior to a drug's approval, a panel of stakeholders at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy 2017 Nexus meeting, discussed how these new guidelines can raise as many questions as they answer.

Experts from Express Scripts discussed how data on consumer behavior can be used to improve health outcomes and control the costs of care during a session of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy 2017 Nexus meeting.

A session at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2017 Nexus meeting discussed the implications of recent legislative and regulatory changes in healthcare at the federal and state levels.

Aimee Tharaldson, PharmD, of Express Scripts kicked off the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2017 Nexus, held October 16-19 in Dallas, Texas, with a presentation on the pipeline of specialty pharmaceuticals in development.

The effects of air pollution on heart health are well known now, and it can be an issue for people in both urban and rural areas of the United States, explained Jeanette Stingone, PhD, of Mount Sinai Health System.

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is entering into novel digital health partnerships to innovate cardiology care and improve cardiovascular health, explained John Rumsfeld, MD, PhD, chief innovation officer at the ACC.

Current drugs for pulmonary hypertension treat 3 pathways, but currently there aren't any new drugs to treat different pathways, although there likely will be some in the future, said Simon Gibbs, MD, Reader in Pulmonary Hypertension at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London.

John Eikelboom, MD, of McMaster University discusses the 3 arms of the COMPASS trial and explains the need for it to end earlier than anticipated.

During a presentation at the US Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress in New Orleans, Louisiana, Mark Zimmerman, MD, said studies show that the presence of a comorbid disorder or specific symptom were the most important factors driving treatment decisions when clinicians picked an antidepressant, and anxiety was the symptom they cited most frequently.

With so many options for treatment-resistant depression, expert George Papakostas, MD, said all things being equal, the patient's preference counts.

Leslie Citrome, MD, MPH, of New York Medical College, discusses payer coverage of atypical antipsychotics with fewer metabolic side effects.

A survey of patients with ADHD showed that two-thirds of those who augment their morning medication do so because it stops working, and 42% have to plan their day around their medication fading.

There is a stigma that comes with being addicted to opioids, even if they are prescribed to manage pain, that can hurt the care patients need to receive, said Arwen Podesta, MD, ABPN, FASAM, ABIHM, of Tulane University.

Payers have made tremendous progress in improving oversight of opioids and other pain medications, but what is really needed is a shift to abuse-deterrent formulations, which are more expensive, said Thomas Kosten, MD, a psychiatrist with Baylor College of Medicine.

The debate over marijuana policy tends to be dominated by people with political "skin in the game," when what's needed is a balanced, evidenced-based review, said Kevin P. Hill, MD, MHS, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.

Experts said that the frequency and quality of social relationships have a greater effect on mortality than obesity or drinking alcohol, and this commands attention from health systems.

Right now, state policy regarding medical marijuana use is out ahead of the science, which can lead to predicaments where cannabis is prescribed in situations where it is not needed, explained Kevin P. Hill, MD, MHS, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.

Patients with childhood trauma may have reduced response to antidepressant agents, and physician need to be given more free rein to tailor treatment approaches to treat those with major depressive disorder, said Vladimir Maletic, MD, MS, clinical professor of neuropsychiatry and behavioral science at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.

Changes under the DSM-5 mean that certain "mixed features" create a gray area of characteristics that could signal major depression or bipolar disorder, even if a patient has not exhibited hypomania.

Screening for depression in the primary care setting can take as little as 30 seconds, but screening is only effective if it actually leads to intervention, explained Michael E. Thase, MD, professor of psychiatry and director of the Mood and Anxiety Program at the University of Pennsylvania.

Studies show that the earlier a child with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is treated with stimulants, the less likely he or she is to develop a substance abuse problem later in life.

John Eikelboom, MD, of McMaster University discusses the 3 outcomes of the COMPASS trial that address the main concerns of patients.

The majority of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, except for a few special circumstances, will begin treatment on combination therapy, instead of monotherapy, because combination therapy has been shown in trials to ahve better outcomes, explained Simon Gibbs, MD, Reader in Pulmonary Hypertension at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London.

The perspective of the decision maker in healthcare affects the meaning of value and the US healthcare system is still trying to figure out how to measure value, said Darius Lakdawalla, PhD, Quintiles Chair in Pharmaceutical Development and Regulatory Innovation at the School of Pharmacy at the University of Southern California.

Healthcare providers can encourage cardiac patients to adhere to exercise and diet guidelines by asking how they are doing with recommendations and emphasizing the importance of following through, explained Christi Deaton, PhD, RN, FAHA, FESC, of the University of Cambridge.

Two recent trials have demonstrate which types of patients are benefit the most from being treated with PCSK9 inhibitors, explained Steven Nissen, MD, of Cleveland Clinic.