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What We're Reading: 340B Lawsuit to Be Refiled; Digging Into Breakthrough Approvals; Screen Time and ADHD
The American Hospital Association will refile its 340B lawsuit against HHS after an appeals court ruled the lawsuit was premature; therapies approved by the FDA with breakthrough designation often lack strong medical evidence; a study has suggested that frequent use of digital media may increase the odds of adolescents developing symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
AHA Will Refile 340B Lawsuit
On Tuesday, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected the 340B lawsuit brought by the American Hospital Association (AHA) against HHS. The 3 judges ruled that the lawsuit was premature since the new regulation had not gone into effect yet when AHA filed the lawsuit, reported The Hill. AHA is challenging HHS’ cuts to the 340B Medicare discount drug program. AHA said it will refile in district court because the appeals court didn’t rule on the merits of the case but instead ruled on how and when the challenge can be filed.
Approved Breakthrough Therapies Lack Strong Medical Evidence
Research into the studies behind therapies approved by the FDA through the breakthrough therapy designation found that these approvals often lack the strongest kind of medical evidence. According to The Washington Post, these drugs are accelerated through development and are tested with less rigorous studies. For instance, 40% of the approved drugs had no randomized trial. Nearly half of the trials did not include a placebo and in half the studies were not completely blinded.
Frequent Digital Media Use Increases Odds of Developing ADHD
A study has suggested that frequent use of digital media, such as computers, tablets, and smartphones, may increase the odds of adolescents developing symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), reported NPR. The researchers followed more than 2500 10th-graders over 2 years, assessed them using a standardized questionnaire for ADHD symptoms, and asked them about the frequency of their participation in online activities, such as texting, checking social media, streaming or downloading music, or online shopping or browsing. Students who used at least 6 online activities many times a day had a higher likelihood of developing ADHD symptoms.
Prices for care at hospital trauma centers vary across hospitals; drug shortages reached a record high during the first quarter of 2024; although 3 of the biggest makers of asthma inhalers pledged to cap out-of-pocket costs for some US patients at $35, these do not apply to daily inhalers used by the youngest kids with asthma.
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Navigating Health Policy in an Election Year: Insights From Dr Dennis Scanlon
April 2nd 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with Dennis Scanlon, PhD, the editor in chief of The American Journal of Accountable Care®, about prior authorization, price transparency, the impact of health policy on the upcoming election, and more.
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The Biden administration recently launched the Global Health Security Strategy, a new effort to combat the spread of infectious diseases; lawmakers zeroed in on the risks of massive consolidation in health care during the first congressional hearing on the Change Healthcare hack; the FDA recently announced the recall of a pair of heart devices linked to numerous deaths and injuries.
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Exploring Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization Variations
March 26th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the March 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on variations in prior authorization use across Medicare Advantage plans.
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