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Regardless of the government's removal of cost and access obstacles to flu vaccinations, adherence remains stagnant; multistate hepatitis A outbreak linked to blackberries sold in grocery store chain; President Trump's FDA nominee Stephen Hahn avoids talk on the suspended e-cig flavor ban during his Senate confirmation hearing.

Humana outlined its progress in its third annual Value-Based Care Report, which details growth and evolution in this area since 2016, both in the number of agreements and in its spread across more parts of the country.

Researchers discovered new molecular drivers of Parkinson disease (PD) and determined their impact on the functions of genes involved in PD, potentially leading to novel treatments, according to study findings.

The FDA has approved a new treatment for adult patients with acute hepatic porphyria (AHP) a rare genetic disorder. Givlaari is an RNA interference therapeutic targeting aminolevulinic acid synthase 1. Simultaneously, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals announced a new framework for value-based agreements to help patients gain access to the treatment.

As part of its Quality Improvement Snapshots series, TMF Health Quality Institute issued 4 healthcare quality improvement efforts, highlighting the use of a rescue pack for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as an impactful strategy in managing COPD-related exacerbations.

Chronic opioid therapy was found to disrupt sleep and increase the risk of sleep disorders, while prescription drug use for pain and sleep exhibited an increased risk of frailty among users, according to 2 study findings stressing the need for heightened prescription education among providers for potential adverse risks.

Under the ACA, patients with HIV in Medicaid expansion states have greater access to care.

A House committee approves a bill to ban all flavored tobacco products; anal cancer rates are on the rise; the debate continues over competing healthcare measures.

EMPRISE (Empagliflozin Comparative Effectiveness and Safety) will examine 5 years of real-world data on empagliflozin, which is sold as Jardiance by Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim. The study is comparing data on empagliflozin with that for dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors. This latest interim analysis also features a cohort comparison with glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists.

Tumor inflammatory response is significantly associated with poor prognosis in patients with multiple myeloma.

California is suing Juul Labs for their role in the youth vaping crisis; a lack of clean water and plumbing was shown to disproportionately affect Native Americans; a chemical plant is passing the permit process in a Louisiana area already dubbed “cancer alley.”

It has now become commonplace for families in America to struggle with their ability to keep children as healthy as possible due to factors related to social determinants of health, according to a new survey.

A recent review examined sleep-related disorders linked to neurology and psychiatry, noting that the disorders degrade quality of life and functional ability, and recommended that when taking a patient history, specific questions are needed to probe the exact symptoms so as to enable strategic treatments.

After saying he would back a ban on flavored vapes, President Trump now says he wants to study the issue more; the FDA approved Novartis’ crizanlizumab (Adakveo) as both monotherapy and in combination for patients 16 years or older with sickle cell disease; the Federal Trade Commission will allow Bristol-Myers Squibb to purchase Celgene for $74 billion in cash and stocks.

A longitudinal assessment of the cost-effectiveness of erenumab as a treatment for migraine exhibited higher patient utility when compared with placebo, according to study findings published this week.

Genomic profiling of tumors has become standard in oncology, but tumors in children often do not have actionable DNA aberrations, requiring another way to effectively target treatment for these patients. A study in JAMA Network Open found that RNA sequencing from pediatric and young adult patients may be a feasible approach.

Genetics plays a strong role in the the trajectory of the how psoriatic arthritis manifests in joint arthritis compared with skin disease.

Mercer’s 2019 National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans highlighted 3 key areas of focus for employers in 2019, which were balancing affordability and choice, empowering employees to improve their health through tech-enabled solutions, and addressing high-cost claims.

Clinical characteristics of women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are important for primary care clinicians to consider in order to improve COPD awareness since women often go underdiagnosed, according to results from a recent study.

A recent study, published by JMIR Research Protocols, demonstrated the effectiveness of implementing a digital HIV care navigation intervention for young racial and ethnic minority men and transwomen.

A study investigating the cardiovascular responses to nitroglycerin in migraine found that migraineurs who developed a migraine-like attack in response to nitroglycerin demonstrated greater systemic cardiovascular responses compared with non-headache controls.

Two new rules from CMS will take steps to increase price transparency for the purpose of empowering patients and increasing competition in the market.

This week, the top managed care news included Medicaid tightening the reins on supplemental payments; employers needing more data to control benefit costs; experts saying prior authorization mostly burdens patients.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is known to be associated with lower health-related quality of life, and a new study adds evidence that depression and fatigue are the major drivers of this relationship.

Adult patients with beta thalassemia will now have an FDA-approved treatment available with luspatercept-aamt (Reblozyl). The therapy treats the rare inherited blood disorder, which requires patients to have regular red blood cell transfusions.

A recent study in the International Journal of Women’s Dermatology described the complex interplay of sex hormones in the pathways of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in pre- and postmenopausal women and how clinicians should be aware of the multiple factors of MetS.

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

An FDA committee unanimously agreed to expand the indication for Vascepa to include cardiovascular prevention; the number of enrollments through the HealthCare.gov marketplace has decreased 20% from last year; Dollar Tree has received a warning for selling medications imported from foreign manufacturers with safety violations.