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Complex diseases present complex challenges for researchers, clinicians, drug manufacturers, and FDA for a variety of reasons. The impact, however, is felt at the patient level, particularly when there are no FDA-approved treatments. In some cases, such as myalgic encephalomyelitis, commonly known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), the devastating effects of the disease are exacerbated by the huge deficit in the drug application and approval pipeline. This leaves the patient population with little hope.

Researchers recently determined that acute otitis media is associated with an incremental increase in outpatient health care costs of $314 per child per year in the United States, which translates into approximately $2.88 billion in added health care expense annually.

Anti-muscarinic drugs are an option in the treatment of overactive bladder which is defined as urinary urgency with or without urge incontinence, usually accompanied by frequency and nocturia, in the absence of a urinary tract infection or other obvious pathology.Oral oxybutynin has been available by prescription for over 40 years, initially marketed as Ditropan® and Ditropan XL® although now generically availably, in addition to the transdermal patch Oxytrol and transdermal gel Gelnique. As an antagonist at muscarinic receptors, oxybutynin leads to relaxation of the smooth muscle of the bladder which leads to increased bladder capacity, decreased involuntary contractions and decreased urgency and frequency of both voluntary and incontinent episodes. The suggested dose is one patch applied for 4 consecutive days, after which the patch should be removed and a new one applied.

Adding evolocumab (Amgen) to statin therapy may help patients control their low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels when high doses of statins are not sufficient, according to results from a recent phase 3 study.

"Nudging" doctors with signed commitment letter in exam rooms lowered inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions for cold symptoms by nearly 20%, according to a study in JAMA Internal Medicine.

HHS: Exchange plans should respond to consumer wants

Four are easy, but one is not so easy

States expecting the woodwork effect

Four key developments to watch for

Use telemedicine to increase provider reach

Consumers expect more from healthcare

Consider tailored approaches for health management

Q&A with Charles Kennedy, MD

Ohio volunteer enrolls just two people in three months

Choose your goals before crunching numbers

Avoidable costs amount to more than $1 trillion

The medical community is using checklists to voluntarily cut costs

Coverage gaps lead to 40% higher costs

PBMs are moving products to non-covered status

Two oncologists are calling on fellow oncologists and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) to support a single-payer healthcare system, according to an article published in the January issue of the Journal of Oncology Practice.

For patients in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), low levels of vitamin D were found to strongly predict disease severity and hasten its progression, according to a study online January 20, 2014 in JAMA Neurology.

Pioneer and Shared Savings ACOs claim $274 million in payback for reducing costs

Ranbaxy Laboratories is being prohibited by FDA from manufacturing and distributing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from its Toansa, India, facility in order “to prevent substandard quality products from reaching U.S. consumers,” according to a news release.

More than 3 million Americans under aged 26 years have health insurance through their parents’ health plans. More than 9 million Americans have signed up for private health insurance or Medicaid coverage. And no American can be dropped or denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition, said President Barack Obama about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) during his fifth State of the Union address on January 28th.

Midterm elections have lawmakers shying away from more reforms

It's included in ACA Section 1331

The Commonwealth Fund outlines several models

Working-age adults-aged 18 to 64-with diabetes appear to have an increased risk of being hospitalized for influenza compared to similar-aged adults without diabetes, according to a study in Diabetologia.