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Witnesses appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee discussed the need to maintain innovation for new drug discoveries while ensuring patients have access to treatments for chronic diseases as well as potentially curative therapies. In addition, Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, raised the idea of giving the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) more authority to cut through patent thickets; his office said later he will propose a bill doing just that.

Researchers from the University of Buffalo surveyed pharmacist students, finding high awareness of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and generally positive attitudes towards it. However, the survey also revelaed gaps in knowledge, highlighting the need for more education.

Rates of low birth weight and premature birth are higher in the United States than most other developed nations, and these factors are believed to contribute to nearly 36% of infant mortality. A recent study sought to evaluate whether Medicaid expansion was associated with changes in rates of low birth weight and preterm outcomes, both overall and by race/ethnicity.

The use of the circulating tumor DNA workflow demonstrated a proof of concept for this system of guiding treatment in the most common form of ovarian cancer.

Federal prosecutors have reached a $17 million settlement with Acadia after Medicaid fraud allegations; rates of heart failure–related deaths are on the rise among adults between 35 and 64 years old; the FDA has asked manufacturers of sunscreen to review the safety of the chemicals used in their products after a new study found that many of the ingredients in sunscreen may be absorbed into the bloodstream upon use.

The FDA approved Pfizer’s transthyretin stabilizer tafamidis, the first treatment for cardiomyopathy of wild-type or hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (ATTR-CM), a rare, incurable disease. Pfizer will sell the oral drugs under the names Vyndaqel and Vyndamax.

The FDA has shut down a program that concealed medical device records for over 2 decades; more than 1000 Ebola-related deaths in 2 trading cities have been reported; Germany considers fining parents of school-age children who are not vaccinated for measles.

Patients with cancer who receive high doses of bisphosphonates, used to treat bone cancer, can experience jaw damage. New preclinical research published in Bone Science Direct could prevent these patients from experiencing this loss of jawbone tissue after routine oral surgery.

Psoriasis might increase the risk of migraine, according to a recently published study, which theorized that the link involves inflammatory processes.

A recent review examined the current evidence regarding risk factors, molecular characterization, and treatment options for myeloproliferative neoplasms.

During World Health Care Congress 2019, healthcare stakeholders from around the globe convened to discuss all things healthcare, ranging from Medicare for All to social determinants of health.

According to a recent study, patients with common lung diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung fibrosis are significantly more likely to develop cardiovascular disease.

While most people with employer-sponsored insurance were satisfied with their coverage and used positive words to describe their health plan, people with low incomes, chronic conditions, or high deductibles faced healthcare affordability challenges.

According to the FDA, there is not enough data to ban sales of textured breast implants that have been associated with a rare cancer.

A recent study found that younger patients with migraine had greater cerebrovascular reactivity impairment in the posterior cerebral artery, which could lead to an increased risk of stroke.

Parkinson disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder found in the elderly, currently affecting an estimated 2% of individuals 60 years or older. PD is a multifactorial disease in which both environmental and genetic factors are significantly associated with disease onset. Although symptoms of the disease may present with a tremor or perhaps a speech problem, by the time the symptoms are evident, it is often too late to stop the progression of the disease.

This week, the top managed care news included CMS Administrator Seema Verma calling for more disruption to the healthcare system; former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, reflecting on the agency’s record of innovation; liraglutide demonstrating promise for youth with type 2 diabetes.

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

Insys Therapeutics’ founder and 4 executives have been found guilty for participating in a scheme that bribed doctors to prescribe its addictive painkiller and misled insurers to pay for the drug; the FDA has approved the first vaccine against dengue fever with some restrictions; Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, has released a $100 billion to combat addiction and improve mental health care.

The venture should help Amgen make use of new FDA guidance allowing broader use of real-world evidence to speed approval of oncology drugs to market.

A randomized controlled trial found that patients hospitalized for an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive poulmonary disease (COPD) experienced reduced rates of treatment failure when adding azithromycin to their standard of care.

Findings from PARTNER2 show that HIV-positive individuals who were virally suppressed by antiretroviral therapy had no risk of transmitting the virus by having sex without condoms.

Despite stroke being a risk factor for osteoporosis, broken bones, and falls, the majority of stroke survivors are not screened nor treated for these conditions, according to new research.

Findings from a literature review suggest that exercise has the potential to improve non-motor symptoms of Parkinson disease.

As expected, HHS Thursday released a final rule implementing a change that would allow healthcare workers to refuse to provide certain services, such as reproductive healthcare, assisted suicide where it is legal, or place children with adoptive families if the parents are gay, lesbian, or transgender, if the service violates their religious or moral beliefs. At the same time, while HHS acknowledged that while some patients may experience some harms from a denial of care, it also proffered a different possibility of how patients could react: they may not mind.

DNA rearrangement may be the key to predicting poor outcomes in high-risk patients with multiple myeloma, according to a new study.

Radiotherapy after chemotherapy is controversial, as evidenced by the fact that doctors for some patients in the study did not follow the protocol for those assigned to radiotherapy and may have affected the results.