News

FDA has approved a combination of the generic drugs naltrexone and bupropion (Contrave) for chronic weight management in obese adults (body mass index [BMI] >30 kg/m2). This combination agent has also been approved for use in those patients who are overweight (BMI >27 kg/m2) and have at least one weight-related comorbid condition such as diabetes, hypertension, or dyslipidemia.

Medication-related problems (MRPs) can be a significant patient safety risk, particularly in hospitalized patients. One method used to minimize this safety concern is through medication reconciliation, or the process of documentation of a patient’s outpatient medication list at the time of hospital admission. Medication reconciliation can be performed by any trained health care professional (i.e. nurses, pharmacy technicians, physicians, etc.), however improved patient safety outcomes have been demonstrated when pharmacists perform this process.

In 1983, the United States enacted the Orphan Drug Act (ODA). An analogous law was passed in Europe in 2000. Both pieces of legislation are considered major successes in terms of spurring the development of orphan drugs. To illustrate, in the decade prior to 1983 only 34 orphan products were marketed, whereas in the past year alone 9 orphan drugs were launched. In the past 5 years, 39 orphan drugs were launched in the US across numerous therapeutic categories, including multiple myeloma, chronic myeloid leukemia, metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, hemophilia, tuberculosis, homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, and cystic fibrosis.1

Industry updates in business and health management

Nursing home residents with advanced dementia often receive medications of questionable benefit with costly consequences, according to a study published online September 8 in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine.

Looming rate cuts and policy changes fuel grassroots effort

Conflicting appellate decisions cause confusion for federal exchange beneficiaries

Payers and providers can stop hemorrhaging administrative costs by investing in technology

FDA has approved Ferric Citrate (Keryx), an oral, iron-based therapy for the control of serum phosphorus levels in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients on dialysis.

Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of 13 medical centers nationwide participating in the Pediatric Regional Anesthesia Network, a collaboration designed to support the collection of highly audited data on practice patterns and complications and to facilitate collaborative research in regional anesthetic techniques in infants and children. Participating institutions report the number of regional anesthesia procedures they do each month. Researchers conducted this study at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, publishing its results in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics in June.

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) published a final recommendation statement recommending that women at high risk for preeclampsia use low-dose aspirin (81 mg/day) after 12 weeks of pregnancy to prevent the condition and its related health problems.

Market readies for explosion of new technology, drugs

ACA base standard "relatively tight"

Patient care as well as the financial health of oncologists should be strengthened

WellPoint opted to change its corporate name to Anthem, Inc. in mid-August. Here’s why.

Experts anticipate plans with up to seven levels

FDA actions in brief, fast-track designations, priority review, orphan drug designations

Plans tackle cancer treatment

Transform care through innovative payment strategies

Dalvance (dalbavancin) is the first and only intravenous antibiotic was approved on May 2014 to treat ABSSSIs with a 2-dose regimen of 1,000 mg once week and later on a 500 mg that is given over a 30-minute time span

Patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HF-REF) treated with an investigational angiotensin receptor neprilysin Inhibitor (ARNI) are more likely to reduce cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalization than those given ACE inhibitors or ARBs as first-line therapy in heart failure, according to data presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Barcelona, Spain, and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine.

FDA has approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda, Merck) for treatment of patients with advanced or unresetable melanoma who are no longer responding to other drugs.

Medical marijuana laws are associated with significantly lower state-level opioid pain reliever mortality rates, according to a study published online August 25 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

About one-third of people with depression derive benefit from adding cognitive therapy to treatment with antidepressant medication, according to a study published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Addresses increased demand for affordable, outpatient care

Employees of religious non-profits can receive separate coverage for contraceptive services

PerformRx, a member of the AmeriHealth Caritas family of companies, is a pharmacy benefits manager covering more than 3.5 million lives. In partnership with two affiliated Pennsylvania-based Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) ? a large Philadelphia-based Medical Assistance managed care health plan and AmeriHealth Caritas Pennsylvania-PerformRx implemented a collaborative drug therapy management (DTM) program for patients with diabetes treated with polypharmacy.