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Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) New Drug Development Paradigm (NEWDIGS), an entity that brings together global leaders in a program that designs, evaluates, and initiates advancements that are too complex to be addressed by individual organizations, are working to solve the problem of ultra–high-cost treatments, including gene therapies.

In a deal that will allow both companies to focus more on their prescription drug business, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline plan to combine their over-the-counter (OTC) consumer healthcare units; 2 antiabortion groups want National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Director Francis Collins, MD, to resign after he defended the agency’s funding of fetal tissue research; despite the fact that 20 veterans die a day from suicide, suicide prevention efforts at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have slumped.

Health providers are taking a serious look at loneliness because of the health implications. A new program from CareMore Health that tackles loneliness has shown positive health outcomes after 12 months.

As consumer preference continues to help shape the way in which care is delivered, the need for patient-focused innovation is critical. One key area where this approach can result in improved quality of care and reduced costs is drug management.

In 2018, The American Journal of Managed Care® team traveled all over the country to provide conference coverage for some of the biggest meetings in the industry. Here are the top 5 most-read conference pieces from this year.

A recent study of abemaciclib, a cyclindependent kinase 4 and 6 inhibitor for metastatic breast cancer, found that it helped all women with hormone receptor–positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–negative disease, and that it was particularly beneficial in women with a worse prognosis.

In the past, data-gathering on pregnancy-related deaths has been irregular and review committees have not always addressed prevention.

States who support the Affordable Care Act are seeking clarity after a judge ruled the health law invalid; Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, is expected to release a bill that would get the federal government into drug manufacturing; since Arkansas introduced work requirements into its Medicaid program, nearly 17,000 people have lost their coverage.

Pediatric patients with autoimmune neutropenia have a higher prevalence and cost than previously suspected, according to the results of 2 studies presented at the 60th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting & Exposition, held December 1-4 in San Diego, California.

A joint assessment comparing the results of value frameworks created by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) found that the frameworks produce comparable measures of the clinical benefits of new cancer therapies in roughly two-thirds of more than 100 drug comparisons examined.

Many commentators disagreed with the argument that the call for a penalty to enforce the individual mandate could not stand apart from other parts of the law, such as protections to cover pre-existing conditions.

Two of The American Journal of Managed Care®'s top 5 most-read news stories were themselves top-5 roundups of hot topics in healthcare this year. The list was rounded out by cardiovascular, diabetes, and cancer news.

Reuters examined internal J&J documents as well as court records and said they show that, from at least 1971 to the early 2000s, the company’s raw talc and finished powders sometimes tested positive for small amounts of asbestos, while the company denies the claim; Larry Merlo, chief executive officer of CVS Health, said he expects 15% to 20% of the drugstores to include an in-store medical clinic; HHS' internal watchdog will investigate the death of a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl after she was detained by US border agents.

Practices participating in the Oncology Care Model have now received performance results for 2 periods, and many practices were surprised that they didn’t perform as well as expected. In general, some of the practices have found it difficult to predict success in the model, but there have been positive results from the OCM.

The Allen Institute for Immunology has partnered with several cancer institutions, including the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, with the primary goal of understanding the differences between a defective and healthy immune system to improve immune-based treatments.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous disease, and patients can differ markedly in their rate of lung function decline and frequency of exacerbations. A recent study sought to determine what proportion of between-individual variability in symptoms can be explained by lung function versus all other observable characteristics.

A working group of osteoporosis experts established recommendations for the design and conduct of economic evaluations in osteoporosis, as well as guidance for reporting these evaluations. The group also created a set of minimum criteria for evaluations and an osteoporosis-specific checklist of items to incorporate in economic reports.

A federal judge in Texas ruled that the Affordable Care Act's individual coverage mandate is unconstitutional and that the rest of the law must also fall, likely setting up a fight in the Supreme Court and throwing into question the idea that consumers should have protection against discrimination by insurers for having pre-existing health conditions.

Current screening for women between ages 50 and 64 for osteoporosis needs improvement, according to a recent comparison of treatment and screening strategies from different organizations in the United States and Canada.

After investigating why patients with HIV have higher rates of cancer than the general population, researchers identified how T-cells move and multiply to invade other cells in these patients.

Existing data are limited on the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) in patients with cancer. In a study recently published in Nature, researchers sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a sofosbuvir (Sovaldi)-based therapy in this patient population.

The 2018 Consumer Perspectives on How Social Determinants Impact Clinical Experience report found that 68% of Americans have at least 1 social determinant challenge and the majority do not discuss their challenges with their provider or insurance company.

CMS recently released the Oncology Care Model (OCM) performance period 1 (PP1) true-up 1 and the performance period 2 (PP2) initial reconciliation. The performance data show some practices may be gaining traction with their success, while others have found it difficult to make progress as CMS continues to refine the payment methodology for the model across performance periods.

A recent report, published by the Annals of the American Thoracic Society, assessed trends in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) hospitalizations and in-hospital deaths in the United States and found that the number of in-hospital deaths for COPD has decreased; however, women account for a higher proportion of the hospitalizations and in-hospital deaths.

A new study examining the public health burden of nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease in the United States has found that all-cause mortality, adjusted for other factors, more than doubled with NTMLD compared with an age- and sex-matched control group.

The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals narrowed a Trump administration order that had sought to enforce new rules that undermine an Affordable Care Act requirement for employers to provide insurance that covers women's birth control based on moral or religious grounds; House Democrats are planning to vote next year on legislation to fund research on gun injuries and deaths, reframing the issue as a public health concern; despite California being cited as a rigorous example in doctor oversight, very few sexual misconduct complaints are reported to the state medical board.

As 2018 draws to a close, the articles in the December issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) touch on some of the timeliest topics of the year, including the value of innovative immuno-oncology treatments, results of practice transformation initiatives, and much more. Here are 5 findings from the research published in the issue.

The project will initially focus on improving patient outcomes for 2 conditions: osteoporosis and migraine.