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This week, the top managed care stories included a case involving health coverage for birth control reaching the Supreme Court; polls on healthcare anger President Trump; a popular diabetes drug receives a new indication.

Balance training of moderate intensity (BT) may increase anti-inflammatory cytokines and neurotrophic factor levels of patients with Parkinson disease (PD), according to study findings.

A formulation of calcipotriene and betamethasone dipropionate cream met its primary endpoint for treating plaque psoriasis during its phase 3 trial in the European Union, according to an announcement from MC2 Therapeutics.

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

A pharmaceutical company executive is sentenced for his role in the opioid crisis; the CDC confirms the second US case of the Chinese coronavirus; the FDA issues accelerated approval of Tazverik for epithelioid sarcoma.

While global public health officials grapple with how to screen international travelers for a spreading coronavirus and the 2019-2020 flu season has claimed the lives of 54 US children so far, hospital groups and physician groups warned this week in court filings about another issue they say is a public health emergency: The Trump administration’s public charge rule, which will defer immigrants, as well as citizens, from seeking healthcare.

Jeffrey D. Dunn, PharmD, MBA, has served as vice president of clinical strategy and programs and industry relations at MagellanRx, a national pharmacy benefit manager (PBM); cofounder, senior vice president, chief clinical officer, and board member of VRx, a regional PBM; and pharmacy director of SelectHealth, part of Intermountain Healthcare. Dunn was instrumental in opening and running the VRx retail pharmacy in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. He is a board member of Care Pharmacies Cooperative, a chain of 100 retail pharmacies. An editor from The American Journal of Managed Care® recently conducted a question-and-answer session with Dunn regarding the recent Institute for Clinical and Economic Review report on the cost-effectiveness of oral semaglutide.

Minimal residual disease (MRD), a measure of how many cancer cells remain in a patient during or following chemotherapy or stem cell transplant, is a potent indicator of whether or not a patient is likely to relapse; recent research probed the associations between MRD status and certain prognostic risk factors in childhood B-lymphoblastic leukemia after both induction and consolidation.

The US Surgeon General, Jerome M. Adams, MD, MPH, has released the first report since 1990 that focuses solely on smoking cessation in America. Smoking accounts for the deaths of half a million Americans each year and is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the country.

A group of 18 health plans announce they will manufacture generic drugs; President Trump hints at cutting Medicare funding; the Chinese government quarantines a city of 11 million in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Innovaccer’s survey-based report titled, “The Science of Value-based Care: An Industry View,” details the current state of readiness of healthcare organizations in employing value-based care, while also providing tips on how minor changes in one’s system framework can contribute to clinical excellence and technical efficiency.

Teprotumumab, which was approved this week by the FDA, resulted in a greater frequency of proptosis reduction compared with placebo for patients with active thyroid eye disease, according to study results released Wednesday.

Researchers discuss optimal approaches to treating hypertension in patients with COPD, with a given patient’s underlying lung function and any coexisting conditions highlighted as important factors of drug therapy choice.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals announced today it had redeemed its priority review voucher to submit a New Drug Application to the FDA on January 21, 2020; the company seeks approval for JZP-258, an investigational medication to treat cataplexy and excessive daytime sleepiness in patients 7 years and older with narcolepsy.

Researchers determined that new diagnostic criteria in the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (ICHD-3) are significantly more specific than that included in ICHD-3 beta when it comes to diagnosing migraine with aura and with typical aura, according to a study published in The Journal of Headache and Pain.

https://www.pharmacytimes.org/on-demand/improving-treatment-and-outcomes-in-spinal-muscular-atrophy-patients

https://www.pharmacytimes.org/on-demand/managing-vasoocclusive-crisis-in-sickle-cell-disease-a-look-at-the-clinical-and-economic-burden

The FDA gives marketing approval for a test that screens for Duchenne muscular dystrophy in newborns; acetaminophen is facing a possible statewide ban in California; the Supreme Court will not rush its decision on the Affordable Care Act.

Mucosa-associated invariant T cells (MAIT cells) are a subset of the T-cell population. Their function and activity during the acute stage of HIV infection adds to the knowledge of immune system activation at this stage and could lead to possible new treatment interventions.

Teprotumumab (Tepezza), a biologic, is a targeted inhibitor of the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor..

The Supreme Court announced on January 17 it will hear a case regarding employers’ ability to limit access to free birth control under the Affordable Care Act. This marks the third instance the Court has looked at a case regarding applicability of the contraception mandate, but the first time with conservative Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh both on the bench.

President Trump grew frustrated with HHS Secretary Alex Azar over healthcare polling and vaping involvement; a top Chinese scientist confirms that humans can transmit new coronavirus; coal plant closures were shown to save over 26,000 lives from 2005 to 2016.

Researchers describe a recent case report of a diagnosis of lgE monoclonal gammopathy which transformed into myeloma, then into lgE-producing plasma cell leukemia.

A study published in JCI Insight determined miR-543, an RNA gene, plays a significant role in the epigenetic landscape of myelofibrosis, specifically via its targeting of the dioxygenases ten-eleven translocation 1 and 2.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is an abnormal thickening of the heart muscle, with causes that include genetic mutations and myofiber disarray (an abnormal heart muscle cell arrangement). Individuals who have this condition are prone to obesity (body mass index, 25 to

A UK study published in PeerJ compared the results of eye movement tests between younger and older cohorts to confirm brain aging effects.

The CDC announced it will screen for the emerging coronavirus from China in 3 US airports; the US birth rate is at an all-time low; tech giants strike deals with hospitals to access millions of medical records.