News

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.

Obesity is a public health and budget problem that cannot be ignored

Stroke patients are 70% more likely to continue taking their stroke prevention medications 1 year later if they are given a prescription when discharged, and 40% more likely after 2 years, according a study published in the Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases.

Teens who received the collaborative care intervention in primary care had significantly greater improvements in depressive symptoms than teens who were receiving treatment as usual.

FDA has approved abacavir 600 mg, dolutegravir 50 mg (Tivicay) and lamivudine 300 mg (Triumeq, ViiV Healthcare) as as a first-line therapy to treat HIV.

Zorvolex was the first FDA-approved low dose NSAID developed using proprietary SoluMatrix Fine Particle Technology. Zorvolex contains diclofenac as submicron particles that are approximately 20 times smaller than their original size. The reduction in particle size provides an increased surface area, leading to faster dissolution. By using this technology, the dose can be lowered without delaying absorbtion.

Almost half of disabled workers enrolled in Medicare’s prescription drug program fill a prescription for opioids each year, and more than 1 in 5 were chronic users, filling 6 or more opioid prescriptions each year, according to a study in the September issue of Medical Care.

Precedex, dexmedetomidine hydrochloride, is approved to sedate patients with breathing tubes in an intensive-care setting, as well as patients without breathing tubes before and during surgeries and other procedures. Hospira’s patent that covers the use of Precedex in an intensive-care setting in due to expire in 2019, however other patents have already expired. On Monday, the FDA approved the sale of generic copies of the drug as long as the companies leave out information from the prescribing labels about uses that are covered under Hospira’s patent, including “intensive-care unit sedation.”

FDA has approved apixaban (Eliquis, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer) for the treatment of DVT and PE, and for the reduction in the risk of recurrent DVT and PE following initial therapy. Combined, DVT and PE are known as VTE.

FDA has approved fluticasone furoate inhalation powder (Arnuity Ellipta, GlaxoSmithKline) for maintenance treatment of asthma in patients aged 12 years and older.

FDA has approved peginterferon beta-1a (Plegridy, Biogen Idec) for the treatment of adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

FDA has approved eliglustat (Cerdelga, Genzyme), the only first-line oral therapy for the long-term treatment of adults with the Type 1 form of Gaucher disease.

FDA has approved a new use for bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech) in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of patients with aggressive and late-stage cervical cancer.

Not surprisingly, the treatment costs associated with ACS and its various comorbidities are astoundingly high.

Overweight and obese postmenopausal breast cancer patients taking aromatase inhibitors may gain a significant benefit by adding nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to their treatment, according to a study published in the August 14 issue of Cancer Research.

FDA has approved suvorexant (Belsomra, Merck) for adults with insomnia who have difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep.

A high-dose influenza vaccine protects the senior population better than the standard-dose influenza vaccine, according to a study published in the August 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Patients with advanced liver disease or other severe symptoms of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection should be first in line for drug therapy, according to a new guideline from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Herpes zoster vaccine continues to be effective in protecting older adults against shingles, even after they undergo chemotherapy, a study published August 4 in Clinical Infectious Diseases.