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The dysfunction with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) is so troublesome that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is currently investigating how they have driven up costs. Until May 25, the FTC is holding a public comment period on PBM practices.

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.

Evidence shows that weight loss achieved through bariatric and endoscopic surgery can help treat and reverse nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but optimal procedure selection and timing vary by patient factors, according to speakers at Digestive Disease Week 2022.

Outcomes were worse for patients hospitalized once for Clostridioides difficile infection compared with alternative reasons for hospitalization, but the risk of adverse outcomes did not seem to increase with recurrent admissions for C difficile, explained Preethi Venkat, MD, second-year internal medicine resident at University of California, San Diego, at Digestive Disease Week 2022.

A pair of posters presented at Digestive Disease Week 2022 showed the efficacy of an investigational biotherapeutic in preventing Clostridioides difficile infection recurrence and restoring the microbiome.

A recent study identified TIGIT as a marker of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell exhaustion and found it to improve CAR T-cell therapy efficacy in preclinical models.

Dupilumab was associated with reductions in exacerbations and oral corticosteroids (OCS) dosage, as well as improved lung function, in patients with OCS-dependent asthma with and without comorbid chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.

Roxana Siles, MD, FAAAAI, staff in the Department of Allergy and Immunology at Cleveland Clinic and codirector of the Asthma Center at Cleveland Clinic, discusses the important need for chronic cough therapies and what issues with current treatments should be addressed by next-generation medications.

Speakers at Digestive Disease Week 2022 presented research on how health disparities and socioeconomic factors can contribute to changes in the gut microbiome that have implications for cancer risk, immune health, and overall well-being.

The tools we need to achieve long-term stability for community providers and ensure better outcomes for rural Americans are available, and CMS can help us utilize them.

The microenvironment of the skin also helps explain why certain ethnicities appear to have a higher risk of melanoma.

The accumulation of screening and treatment disparities are contributing to colorectal cancer incidence and mortality disparities, said Folasade (Fola) May, MD, PhD, gastroenterologist, health services researcher at University of California, Los Angeles, at Digestive Disease Week 2022.

As artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the gastrointestinal field continues to advance, speakers at Digestive Disease Week 2022 discussed how these tools can be put into practice to improve efficiency, reduce physician burnout, and reap cost savings.

Differentiation between multiple myeloma (MM) and bone metastases from other cancers can be difficult, but radiomics-based models have potential to improve diagnostic accuracy.

Chargemaster lists may encourage patients to shop around for services, but the authors of this report said the implications of this change for dermatology are not well-defined.

Authors wrote that their analysis was the first to combine incidence and mortality of overall BTC, and its anatomic subtypes, into a single study

Researchers also found that 95% of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-associated acute lower respiratory infection episodes and more than 97% of RSV-attributable deaths were among children in low– and middle-income countries.

This study evaluated levels of 4 biomarkers associated with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) before and after treatment with the angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor sacubitril/valsartan.

Treatment resistance is a significant challenge in immunotherapy, but it is not fully understood. A recent review summarized 5 tumor microenvironment traits that may inhibit therapy effectiveness and potential strategies to improve therapy responses.

Eosinophilic esophagitis is a chronic inflammatory disorder in which eosinophils, a type of white blood cell, proliferate in the esophagus, causing difficulties with eating and swallowing.

The value of multicancer early detection tests is based not only on cost, but cost in relation to the outcomes, said Patricia Deverka, MD, MS, senior researcher, deputy director at the Center for Translational and Policy Research and Precision Medicine, University of California San Francisco.

The findings come from a novel longitudinal analysis of 400 patients, which the researchers said validates and further underscores the utility of laboratory parameters for the management of hidradenitis suppurativa.

Intensified treatment for Parkinson disease (PD) as noted in patients' electronic medical records can serve as an indicator of more advanced disease.

In some cases, however, the rate of decline is no different than that of the general population, according to new research.

Use of a chitosan-based gel dressing after endoscopic sinus surgery for nasal polyps was found to reduce risk of wound infection and synechia in patients, although no difference was observed regarding granulations.

Over 48 weeks, secukinumab was shown to be effective and safe in a small study of 18 children with generalized pustular psoriasis in China.

Continuous glucose monitor (CGM) use as part of a telemedicine program in patients with type 2 diabetes transitioning out of a hospital setting and to a different diabetes therapy was evaluated in this new open-label study.

A population-based cohort study found that patients with retinal vein occlusion (RVO) 40 years and older had increased risk of cardiovascular disease CVD compared with patients who did not have RVO.