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In a meta-analysis comparison of biologics and oral treatments for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, results suggest that brodalumab, guselkumab, ixekizumab, and risankizumab-rzaa were associated with the highest response rates in both short-term and long-term therapy.

The Patent Trial and Appeals Board delivered a setback to Gilead Sciences, rejecting its attempt to invalidate a pair of Truvada patents owned by the CDC; Merck is spinning off some businesses in order to focus on its oncology drug pembrolizumab, including its biosimilars operations; Republican and Democratic governors are worried that a proposed CMS fiscal accountability rule for Medicaid will reduce access to healthcare.

The most detailed look ever at data for rosiglitazone, the diabetes drug marketed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) as Avandia, shows the one-time blockbuster significantly raises the overall risk of heart problems or cardiovascular death, calling attention to the need for more transparency in data collection.

Anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor natural killer (CAR NK) cells, derived from donor umbilical cord blood, produced a 73% objective response rate in 11 patients with lymphoid tumors who received just 1 dose of the infused therapy, with no occurrences of cytokine release syndrome or neurotoxicity, in preliminary study results out of MD Anderson. Seven patients had a complete remission.

A novel protein misfolding cyclic amplification technology was able to distinguish between 2 progressive neurodegenerative diseases, Parkinson disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy, signaling potential improvements in diagnosis of PD.

The FDA reexamines asbestos testing for talc powders and cosmetics; elderly patients with HIV have high polypharmacy use; the government issues an emergency use authorization for a coronavirus diagnostic.

Researchers determined that patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) present with significant Aqueduct of Sylvius enlargement over time, which may be attributable to regional atrophy changes and ex vacuo expansion of the aqueduct, according to a study recently published in Fluids and Barriers of the CNS.

Three standards—Direct, Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR), and cloud fax—all hold promise for helping healthcare organizations more easily share information.

Researchers discovered a link between circadian clock disturbances in pancreatic cells and type 2 diabetes (T2D), according a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Infectious disease experts at the University of Maryland School of Medicine recently warned there is an urgent need for the administration of influenza vaccines among detainees at the southern border.

The FDA launched a mobile-friendly, interactive database providing information on eligible HIV antiretroviral treatments available; an HIV vaccine trial by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center ended after failing to provide protection from the virus; New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy established a coronavirus task force to manage the state’s preparedness and response to the virus.

A transcriptome-wide association study found 106 genes that may point to the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration, according to results recently published in Scientific Reports.

Using a deep learning–based model to characterize sleep staging, researchers were able to accurately and automatically detect patients with and without obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but accuracy decreased with increasing OSA severity, according to study findings.

Electronic medical record data showed migraine is associated with a systematic increase in morbidity across the spectrum of the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), according to a recently published study in The Journal of Headache and Pain.

Among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure, stroke, and myocardial infarction were highly associated with an increased risk of death. Mortality risk was more strongly associated with the use of long-acting muscarinic antagonists and N-acetylcysteine compared with the lesser risk from inhaled corticosteroids, beta-blockers, and acetylsalicylic acid, according to study findings.

Cancer cells present in skin lesions resulting from mycosis fungoides originate from the blood, disproving previously held hypotheses regarding the disease’s pathogenesis, according to a study published in the American Society of Hematology’s Blood.

Antiretroviral treatment (ART) is the regimen mainstay for everyone who has HIV, irrespective of infection duration. More than twice as many options for ART were available in 2018 as were offered in 2012—but this did not equal cheaper prices. Between 2012 and 2018, the average wholesale price for initial ART jumped 34% for most people with HIV.

The US declares a public health emergency over the coronavirus outbreak; the FDA approves the first treatment for peanut allergy in children, sold as Palforzia; the Trump administration rejects California's healthcare tax on managed care organizations.

The authors noted that pregnant women are typically excluded from clinical trials investigating the safety and tolerability of HIV medications.

The case study involved a 61-year-old obese Caucasian male with a medical history of smoking, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and sleep apnea who initially presented to the hematology clinic with polycythemia.

Although arterial stiffness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) increases over time, a greater annual increase may be associated with the severity of emphysema, systemic inflammation, and dyslipidemia, according to study findings.

Migraine was the most common type of headache in patients with hyperprolactinemia.

This week's paper from our editors-in-chief presented the idea of tying a prescription drug's cost-sharing to its clinical value to the patient.

Medicare beneficiaries with untreated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have increased healthcare utilization (HCU) and costs across all points of service, according to results of a recent study published by the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

“The course of history shows that as government grows, liberty decreases.” --Thomas Jefferson

This week, top managed care stories included a new plan for Medicaid block grants; federal officials’ response to the novel coronavirus; FDA offers guidance for gene therapies.

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

The incidence of open globe injuries decreased in the US from 2006 to 2014, according to a recent study published in JAMA Ophthalmology.