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Insurers have inconsistent policy terms for nondrug treatments for low back pain while providing limited or no coverage for treatments that have scientific support, such as acupuncture and psychological counseling, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

CMS said Thursday that the average 2019 premium charged for the silver level of health insurance in the exchanges set up by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) dropped slightly for the first time since 2014, and Seema Verma, who heads CMS, credited the actions of the Trump administration for the lower premiums.

The first drug specifically to treat patients with Mycobacterium avium complex, a rare and chronic lung disease, has been approved by the FDA. Arikayce is also the first drug to be approved under the Limited Population Pathway for Antibacterial and Antifungal Drugs, established under the 21st Century Cures Act.

Although patients have the right of access to their protected health information, actual access remains limited. A new study, published in JAMA Network Open, has found that the processing of requesting medical records remains burdensome despite policy efforts.

A retrospective study by Houtchens et al on annual pregnancy rates from 2006 to 2014 reveals that US women with multiple sclerosis (MS) had increased pregnancy rates as compared to women without MS.

Senate Democrats were 1 vote short of overturning the Trump administration's expansion of short-term health plans; Celltrion’s CT-P10, a biosimilar to cancer drug Rituxan, received the unanimous support of an FDA advisory panel; Centene will enter 4 new states—North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Tennessee—and expand offerings in 10 markets in 2019.

Tisagenlecleucel's high price is aligned with the benefit the chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy provides over a patient's life. Approximately 40% of patients treated are expected to be long-term survivors.

Abnormal concentrations of inflammatory markers detected in children with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) support the theory that children with ALL are born with dysregulated immune function.

Although researchers observed improvements when incorporating several new comorbidities into chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia risk factors, the improvements were small and might not be clinically relevant.

This week, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) published new guidelines for patients centered around neuroendocrine tumors.

Researchers compiled data from 2 studies demonstrating the safety and efficacy of erenumab at 4 weeks and found that the treatment resulted in a reduction of weekly migraine days as early as week 1.

The deal could lead to the transformation of CVS' drug stores into retail medical centers. The American Medical Association opposes the plan.

Research at the University of Washington is exploring the possibility of triggering one gene to take over the function of another with a common mutation that triggers acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

In order to address disparities, say the authors, it will be key to maintain policies associated with better outcomes for low-income communities, such as the expansion of Medicaid, that could provide access to affordable cancer care.

When consumers try to sign up for Affordable Care Act health plans on the federal marketplace, they may encounter hours-long downtime for the site; the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement would increase pharmaceutical exclusivity from 8 years to 10 years, delay access to competition from biosimilar biologics; Medicare is considering paying for telemedicine for a 5-minute check-in call, but physicians question the proposal.

Under the current administration, CMS has made several good-faith attempts to revitalize the current healthcare system. These efforts demonstrate CMS’ commitment to move our industry closer to value-based payment and consumer-centered delivery models. However, each of these reforms exhibits concerning characteristics.

A recent study determined that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) had similar tumor microenvironment, but higher tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) exhaustion, than patients without COPD. The use of an anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) antibody, nivolumab, was also demonstrated to be effective in this population.

According to the 2018 benchmark Kaiser Family Foundation Employer Health Benefits Survey, annual premiums for family and single coverage have increased in 2018 and the burden of deductibles continues to grow on employees. However, as premiums rise, so does employer investment in health and wellness programs for their employees.

Last week, the FDA granted approval to immune checkpoint inhibitor cemiplimab-rwlc, to be sold as Libtayo, for the treatment of metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC), or in patients with locally advanced CSCC who are not candidates for curative surgery or curative radiation.

A medical social network for physicians said it has compiled data that pinpoint the top 50 metropolitan areas where shortages of oncologists are expected to occur in the coming years. Doximity said the findings in its 2018 National Oncologists Workforce report are drawn from retirement trends, the percentage of state-trained specialists, and the prevalence of breast cancer.

This series of pharmacoeconomics posts will explore the meaning of $100,000/quality-adjusted life year (QALY) and why it might matter to these 4 P’s: patients, payers, providers, and pharma. Part 1 focuses on definitions and a basic calculation.

Treatment with Symtuza (darunavir 800 mg/cobicistat 150 mg/emtricitabine 200 mg/tenofovir alafenamide 10 mg) results in and maintains high virologic suppression rates, according to study findings presented at the 2018 Infectious Disease Week conference held in San Francisco, California.

A recent paper sought to address the knowledge gap in the literature with respect to the effects of cardiovascular events and thromboembolic events on healthcare cost associated with patients with polycythemia vera receiving hydroxyurea.

The Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA, a little-known nonprofit set up by Congress over 10 years ago to help the agency work with the private sector, is still struggling with funding as well as questions about its mission; the preferences of millennials are changing the traditional model of office-based primary care; Democrats are planning to force a vote in the Senate this week on overturning a Trump administration rule expanding short-term health insurance plans.

Patient preference should be considered because medications don't work if adherence is poor, the experts noted.

Some patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience a sudden worsening of their symptoms that require additional treatment—also known as acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD). A recent study, which investigated whether readmissions of patients with severe AECOPD varied according to the bacterium or virus identified, found that P. aeruginosa identification is associated with a higher readmission rate in patients.

A new study examining the effect of high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) on low-income adults with multiple chronic conditions found that almost half had a family out-of-pocket (OOP) healthcare burden exceeding 20% of family disposable income.

The decline in fractures caused by osteoporosis has stagnated, leading bone experts to suspect a lack in osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment guideline adherence. To combat this, the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) has added 5 clinical care recommendations to prevent secondary fractures in at-risk patients.