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European Medicines Agency announces AstraZeneca vaccine is safe; a low-dose aspirin regimen may help reduce severe COVID-19 outcomes; President Joe Biden sends excess AstraZeneca vaccines to Canada and Mexico.

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

This week, the top managed care news included AstraZeneca refuting blood clot links to COVID-19 vaccine; 2021 V-BID Summit celebrates 20 years of policy achievements for value-based insurance design; Managed Care Cast discusses 4 strategies payers can use to ensure opioid use disorder care.

To mark World Sleep Day, a survey issued this week spotlights trends that have impacted sleep quality in the past year, including rising stress amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the prevalence of unattended snoring that may signal an underlying health condition.

Minimal residual disease (MRD) is being used more frequently in clinical trials and to identify the best treatment course for patients, but unknowns remain about the optimal use of MRD testing.

Despite HHS’ recommendation that everyone with HIV start antiretroviral therapy (ART) soon after their diagnosis, uptick disparities remain and are especially apparent among persons with drug abuse or dependence.

Xavier Becerra, California's attorney general, will become the next secretary of HHS after the Senate voted 50-49, split by party lines.

The study examined the cost to Medicare when patients with end-stage renal disease switched from their employer-based health insurance to Medicare between 2007 and 2017 before the end of the 30-month coordination period.

A new study suggests that 3-feet social distancing is sufficient for in-person instruction in public schools; Amazon announces it will offer its Amazon Care telemedicine program to private employers nationwide; ACIST Kodama Intravascular Ultrasound Catheter recalled.

Patients with multiple sclerosis have high rates of urinary and kidney infections, inpatient hospitalizations, and outpatient hospital claims, according to recent results presented at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis annual meeting.

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and history of cardiovascular disease treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy were shown to report 20% higher levels of moderate physical activity compared with non-CPAP users, with these patients also more likely to exercise at levels meeting clinical recommendations.

A panel of experts provided consumer insights into value-based insurance design (VBID) and how the COVID-19 pandemic may have changed consumer behaviors in a way that VBID may be able to address as the country emerges from the pandemic.

Responses from a study of in-person focus groups show that not only do patients report adverse effects on quality of life, physical well-being, and mental health but that their caregivers do as well.

While an association was found between dementia and the most common form of lupus, links to other autoimmune diseases—rheumatic arthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome, and Behcet’s disease—were not found.

Results of a scoping review of 19 studies indicate estrogen likely plays a key role in migraine pathogenesis but affects patients in different ways depending on past medical history, age, and use of hormonal therapy.

Patients discharged from hospitals after recovering from severe COVID-19 were found to have lasting functional impairment and post-traumatic stress symptoms months after, according to a study.

The FDA issues updated guidance on the emergency use authorization (EUA) process for COVID-19 screening tools; Eli Lilly releases patient-reported outcome results for Verzenio (abemaciclib) in breast cancer; COVID-19 vaccines possibly improve long-haul symptoms among patients.

A value-based care team approach can be utilized to adequately treat patients’ medical problems, particularly by addressing the social, economic, and environmental challenges they’re facing in their everyday lives.

A desire to remove barriers to high-value care and provide services that would improve health and quality of life drove early adopters of value-based insurance design (VBID).

A novel skin test was shown to detect metabolites that could predict the development of Parkinson disease, as well as delineate changes in lipid processing and mitochondria that can be leveraged to better understand how the disease develops.

The safety and effectiveness of the long-acting agent is backed by data from trials of the drug among treatment-experienced individuals living with HIV-1 whose viral load is on the rise due to other regimens failing. Investigation continues among these patients, as well as treatment-naive patients.

Fear of exposure to COVID-19 is associated with patients missing ophthalmic care appointments, suggesting the potential importance of conveying practices’ infection-control measures, according to results of a non-validated survey.

Evidence points to the origins of COVID-19 variants; officials urge former President Trump to encourage supporters to receive a COVID-19 vaccine; Purdue Pharma releases a bankruptcy plan.

As part of the study, investigators looked into the long-term risk of cancer as affected by immediate initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART).

In a review published in Eye and Brain, researchers outlined the link between dry eye and migraine, their possible shared pathophysiology, and therapies targeting similar pathophysiological mechanisms.

Study findings shed a light on the role of minimal residual disease (MRD) status and type of postremission therapy in the prognosis of patients with intermediate-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who do not have FLT3-ITD, NPM1, and biallelic CEBPA mutations.

Between 1999 and 2018, Black adults living in rural regions of the United States experienced high mortality rates due to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke compared with White adults, according to new research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Field loss may not be the only visual deficit resulting from macular damage while resulting functional losses may impair facial recognition, according to new research published in JAMA Ophthalmology.