News

FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for LightMix Ebola Zaire rRT-PCR Test for Ebola disease. The test can be used in West Africa and the United States.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that it has selected Accenture Federal Services for a five-year, $563 million contract to continue Accenture’s work on the federally facilitated marketplace in support of healthcare.gov.

A weeklong test of the ICD-10 coding system by 500 providers resulted in a 76% acceptance rate, according to CMS.

The German Breast Group (GBG) said nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane) demonstrated significant benefit for patients with early high risk breast cancer when compared to conventional solvent-based paclitaxel, according to data presented at the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, December 9-13 in San Antonio, Texas.

The use of new oral anticoagulants (NOACs) continues to increase. Over the past 4 quarters, rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Bayer/Johnson & Johnson) and apixaban (Eliquis, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Pfizer) were in the top 20 of fastest-growing drugs in the United States. They offer advantages compared to warfarin such as a rapid onset of action, no dietary modifications, fewer drug–drug interactions, and do not require routine coagulation monitoring.

FDA has approved the new drug application (NDA) for liraglutide [rDNA origin] injection (Saxenda, Novo Nordisk) , the first once-daily glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist for chronic weight management.

A majority of opioid users are taking the painkillers concurrently with other prescription drugs, according to a report from Express Scripts that analyzed US opioid trends.

Cigna/Safeway study finds that patients make cost-conscious choices when provided with education and online shopping tools

Accelerated approval has been granted by FDA to nivolumab (Opdivo, Bristol-Myers Squibb) for the treatment of patients who have unresectable or metastatic melanoma not responding to treatment with other drugs.

FDA approved the first intravenous influenza treatment, peramivir (Rapivab, BioCryst).

Some anti-inflammatory drugs, including ibuprofen have the potential to prevent the second most common type of skin cancer, according to a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

Despite known risks of confusion and falls associated with benzodiazepine use in elderly patients, a study published in JAMA Psychiatry, finds that prescription of benzodiazepines increases as people age. The research offers the first estimates of use patterns in the United States.

Employers are increasingly utilizing level-funding, a hybrid self-insurance model, to gain flexibility and control costs.

Eighty-nine new accountable care organizations will join the Medicare Shared Savings program in 2015, bringing the total number of participants to 405.

The Affordable Care Act has ushered in a new era of convergence among healthcare payers and providers.

One medical center is urging parents to seek non-medical solutions for their children’s anxiety or insomnia, after a recent study found that teens prescribed anti-anxiety or sleep medications are up to 12 times more likely to abuse prescription drugs than those who had never been prescribed them.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) recently filed a class action suit in federal court against Gilead Sciences, Inc. over the high cost of its hepatitis C drug, Sovaldi.

FDA approved ceftolozane/tazobactam (Zerbaxa, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) for the treatment of adults with complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI) and complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI) caused by designated susceptible Gram-negative bacteria.

More than half of all Medicaid beneficiaries nationwide were enrolled in a managed care organization as of September 2014, according to a new analysis by the Kaiser Family Fund.

FDA has approved finafloxacin (Xtoro, Alcon) otic suspension for the treatment of otitis externa.

FDA has approved olaparib (Lynparza, AstraZeneca) for the treatment of women with advanced ovarian cancer associated with defective BRCA genes, as determined by an FDA-approved test.

FDA has allowed marketing of the EnLite Neonatal TREC kit (PerkinElmer), the first newborn screening test for detection of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID).

FDA has approved ombitasvir, paritaprevir and ritonavir tablets co-packaged with dasabuvir tablets (Viekira Pak, AbbVie) to treat patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infection, including those with a type of advanced liver disease called cirrhosis.

The ACA has had a significant impact on uninsurance rates for racial and ethnic minorities, according to a new study by the Urban Institute.

In a shift from fee-for-service to value-based care, UnitedHealthcare has launched a pilot bundled payment model with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center for head and neck cancers.

Hospitals with high rates of certain hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) will have their Medicare payments cut by 1% for the 2015 fiscal year.

FDA has approved lanreotide (Somatuline Depot, Ipsen) Injection, 120 mg (referred to as Somatuline) for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable, well- or moderately-differentiated, locally advanced or metastatic gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs).

The FDA has granted breakthrough therapy designation for Lucentis (ranibizumab, Genentech) for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy.