News

The appropriate use of specialty drugs is a major priority for health plans and will become increasingly important for future growth over the next 3 to 5 years, according to a comprehensive survey on payer approaches to specialty drugs. Furthermore, the research finds significant variation in what health plans view as emerging areas of opportunity to manage these drugs.

Total spending on medicines declined by 3.5 percent, according to the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics report, Declining Medicine Use and Costs: For Better or Worse?” report. In addition, nominal pharmaceutical spending reached $325 billion in 2012, or real per capita spending of $898, a decline of one percent.

On March 29, 2013, FDA approved canagliflozin (Invokana, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), a once-daily tablet, indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Women taking fourth-generation oral contraceptives, which use a progestin that is antiandrogenic, are at increased heart risk. The drugs significantly lengthen the corrected QT (QTc) by 3.6 milliseconds, according to a recent study in the Annals of Noninvasive Electrocardiology.

Teenagers who received DTaP (acellular pertussis vaccine) in their first 2 years of life had a 6 times higher risk of contracting pertussis compared with those who received DTwP (whole-cell pertussis vaccine) in their first 2 years of life, according to a study online in Pediatrics.

Older patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be at increased risk for cardiovascular events with newly prescribed long-acting beta-agonists (LABAs) and long-acting anticholinergics (LAAs) and need to be followed closely by their healthcare providers, according to a study published online May 20 for JAMA Internal Medicine.

Obesity is a growing problem in the United States. Currently, 68% of adult Americans are overweight (BMI >25 kg/m2).1 Of those, 35% are obese (BMI >30 kg/m2) and 6% are morbidly obese (BMI >40 kg/m2). It is estimated that by 2030, 51% of the population will be obese and 11% will be morbidly obese.1 We are often confronted with dosing drugs in an obese patient. Unfortunately, many clinical trials exclude or have limited overweight patients enrolled; thus, optimal dosing for both safety and efficacy in this population is lacking. Pharmacokinetic studies in obese patients have shown that the volumes of distribution of lipophilic drugs and the clearance of hydrophilic drugs can be increased. For this reason, dosing in obesity should be patient- and drug-specific.

FDA pipeline preview

Innovative state experiments propel health reform forward

ACOs, bundled payment, shared savings require new capabilities and new culture

RADV audits can help by confirming that a plan has actually captured the most accurate and complete diagnostic information about its members to deliver the right care to those members based on their needs

Aetna examines technology solutions to advance evidence-based care

Study reveals mixed results in expanded Medicaid plan

The 2012 drug trend declined 3.5% but members are paying three to five times more in overall healthcare costs

Ohio's Republican governor might have to sell the statehouse on the idea

Start with lifestyle modifications then determine need for testing

A national program aims to accelerate treatment and diagnosis

Massachusetts adds cost containment goals, something PPACA lacks

Plan's data show 1.2% of screenings resulted in cancer diagnosis

Payer and provider affiliation deals vary and bring up new questions

Transparency still has a long way to go

Employers look for loopholes but most will keep coverage plans in tact

Eventually, states could expand their roles in the exchange operations

Decolonization of all intensive care unit (ICU) patients with antimicrobial soap and ointment significantly reduces all bloodstream infections, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Testing patients with just 3 risk factors upon hospital admission has potential to identify nearly 3 out of 4 asymptomatic carriers of C difficile, according to a new study published in the May issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.

Men using long-term, high dose prescription opioids for back pain were about 50% more likely to be using medications for erectile dysfunction than men with back pain who were not using opioids, according to a study published in a recent issue of Spine.

After its recent review, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) could not recommend supplementation with vitamin D and calcium for the primary prevention of fractures in healthy adults.