- Center on Health Equity and Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
What We're Reading: New FDA Head Vows More Efforts to Stem Opioid Abuse Epidemic
What we're reading, March 2, 2016: FDA commissioner pledges stronger efforts to develop harder-to-abuse painkillers; Olympus Corp. agrees to largest settlement for violating anti-kickback laws; and the Supreme Court hears Texas abortion case with just 8 members on the bench.
When the new FDA commissioner, Robert Califf, MD, was confirmed last week, it was over concerns from some senators that his agency had not done enough to combat the rising painkiller abuse epidemic. Now, Dr Califf is pledging to back efforts to develop painkillers that are harder to abuse, reported the AP. Since 2010, the FDA has approved 5 abuse-deterrent drugs and there are at least 30 similar drugs currently in development.
Olympus Corp. will pay $646 million to resolve probes into illegal kickbacks and bribes to doctors and hospitals. According to Kaiser Health News, the company, which is already under investigation for its role in superbug outbreaks, has used research grants, consulting deals, luxury trips and more to influence doctors to order more Olympus devices at hospitals. The company’s settlement is the largest ever for a kickback violation.
On Wednesday a closely watched abortion case went before the US Supreme Court. With only 8 justices on the bench, the court no longer has 5 conservatives who might support more restrictive abortion regulations nationwide, reported Reuters. The case focuses on whether a Texas law imposing strict regulations interferes with a woman’s constitutional right to end her pregnancy. If the court splits 4-4, the lower court’s ruling would stand, which would affirm the Texas law. The last time the Supreme Court ruled on an abortion case was 2007.
Real-World Study Reveals Key Insights into DLBCL Treatment Patterns, Outcomes
April 18th 2024A recent study offers valuable insights into the characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in patients across different lines of therapy, providing a look into the landscape of DLBCL management.
Read More
Navigating Health Literacy, Social Determinants, and Discrimination in National Health Plans
February 13th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the February 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on how health plans can screen for health literacy, social determinants of health, and perceived health care discrimination.
Listen
Gene, Light Therapy Combo Shows Promise Against Prostate Cancer Cells in Proof-of-Concept Study
April 18th 2024In their preclinical model, the researchers found efficacy both in vitro and in vivo by using CRISPR-Cas9 to mimic porphyria and combining the technology with light therapy.
Read More
Drs Raymond Thertulien, Joseph Mikhael on Racial Disparities in Multiple Myeloma Care Access
December 28th 2023In the wake of the 2023 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition, Raymond Thertulien, MD, PhD, of Novant Health, and Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, chief medical officer of the International Myeloma Foundation, discussed health equity research highlights from the meeting and drivers of racial disparities in multiple myeloma outcomes.
Listen
Collecting SDOH Data Can Assess Risk of Medical Nonadherence, Improve HEI and Star Ratings
April 18th 2024At the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2024 annual meeting, a panel of presenters explored changes coming to Medicare that incorporate social determinants of health (SDOH) data to improve patient and health system outcomes.
Read More
