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A kidney transplant patient treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for a chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection showed reactivation of the hepatitis B virus (HBV), which proved fatal. The authors of the report recommend a call to action for including HBV testing as part of the patient’s work-up in transplant recipients who are on immunosuppressants, especially in the context of abnormal liver tests.

https://www.pharmacytimes.org/on-demand/an-american-journal-of-managed-care-supplement-managing-costs-and-advancements-in-biosimilars

Propeller Health, a digital health company that makes sensors to track patient use of respiratory inhalers used for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, is being snapped up by ResMed, which makes connected devices for respiratory care.

Among patients with pancreatic cancer being treated with modified FOLFIRINOX, those who develop severe neutropenia have significantly longer median overall survival, as well as longer time to treatment failure, compared with those who do not develop severe neutropenia.

New research finds migraine with aura is associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), which may help provide a clearer picture of the relationship between the migraine subtype and cardioembolic stroke, as AF is a common source of cardioembolic stroke.

A new prescription benefit option at CVS Health will guarantee that clients can receive 100% of any rebates, discounts, or other fees that drug makers pay; a new 10-minute blood test can detect cancer cells anywhere in the human body; a new study has found that sending young patients home with opioids after getting their wisdom teeth removed can set a path of opioid use and abuse.

In this series, we have used the recent announcement by CVS Health regarding a strategy to lower drug prices as an example to review basic pharmacoeconomic principles. For Part 3, we are going to discuss various stakeholders and how each might view the results of decisions based off of pharmacoeconomic analyses.

A newly published study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing finds that heavy alcohol consumption poses a risk for suboptimal long-term weight loss among patients with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

In 2016, 15.4% of physicians worked in practices that used telemedicine for a wide spectrum of patient interactions, including e-visits, and 11.2% of physicians worked in practices that used telemedicine for interactions between physicians and healthcare professionals.

A new Gallup poll finds a split in beliefs in how Americans think about healthcare. The majority of respondents think the federal government should be responsible for ensuring that all Americans have health insurance, but at the same time, a majority is opposed to the notion of a “government-run” healthcare system.

The use of osteoporosis medication for 12 months reduced the risk of fractures and decreased medical costs in elderly female Medicare beneficiaries with osteoporosis, according to the results of a recent study.

The researchers wrote that theirs was the first such study to document the greater antithrombotic protection of hydroxyurea over PHL against arterial thrombosis. They also found that the 2 treatments lent similar protection from venous thrombosis.

As healthcare closes the book on 2018, here are trends and changes the industry can expect to see on the telepsychiatry front in 2019.

The number of cases of a mysterious polio-like illness called acute flaccid myelitis are falling; Apple’s latest watch, the Series 4, has new features designed to detect falls and heart problems, and is aimed at attracting an older demographic; dentists who prescribe opioids to teenagers and young adults after removing their wisdom teeth may be putting their patients at risk of addiction.

In fiscal year 2019, there will be approximately $1.9 billion in value-based incentive payments available to hospitals in the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program, which is a budget-neutral program.

A commentator said a solution may come from the survey method: giving patients an opportunity to disclose medical information through an impersonal instrument.

At the inaugural convening of the healthcare advocacy group United States of Care, Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH, the North Carolina health secretary, and Adam Boehler, the head of CMS's Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, discussed strategies for lowering costs while improving healthcare quality.

For hospitals and other healthcare professionals, mobile apps represent the future of healthcare communication. If your facility isn’t already using apps or isn’t seriously evaluating them, your organization is behind the adoption curve.

The FDA has issued a safety warning that patients who stopped taking Gilenya experienced worsening of multiple sclerosis, compared with before treatment started or during treatment, in rare cases.

In a multicenter study, only 1 in 5 women at increased risk of breast cancer reported a strong need for tamoxifen preventive therapy, according to a report published Monday.

Once-daily gilteritinib pills have been approved to treat adult patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a FLT3 mutation. Approximately 25% to 30% of patients with AML have this mutation, which is associated with an aggressive form of the disease and carries a higher risk of relapse.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is buying cancer biotech firm Tesaro for for $5.1 billion; Republicans in Congree are giving up efforts to cut Planned Parenthood funding; Medicare is using financial incentives to reward or punish nursing homes based on how often their residents ended up back in hospitals within 30 days of discharge.

Researchers investigated the association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) phenotypes and the prognosis of different histological subtypes of lung cancer and found that COPD, especially emphysema-predominant phenotype, was an independent prognostic risk factor for squamous carcinoma only.

A new report from the CDC revealed that it is necessary for providers to be aware of the challenges faced by Hispanics/Latinos with diagnosed HIV and to improve access to ancillary services.

A recent editorial outlined how to choose the necessary migraine pharmacotherapy for an elderly person and emphasized the importance of the careful personalization of treatment based on individual patient characteristics in order to choose a safe and effective migraine treatment.

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology have released consensus guidelines that will provide guidance for pregnant women as well as their clinical care providers on prenatal physical activity.

Researchers described the study as one of the first to examine how strength training can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, separate from the effects of aerobic activity like running or long walks

While a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in Congress failed last year, the Trump administration, in the courts and through regulation, has managed to get closer and closer to its goal as a matter of practicality. As health policy watchers wait for an impending decision to drop in Texas v Azar, the case about the constitutionality of the ACA, here is a look back at the healthcare actions taken during the first 2 years of the Trump administration.