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Here’s what you missed this week on Managed Healthcare Executive.

“Immunity debt” may be the explanation

Out of the three stages of menopause, perimenopausal women living with HIV experience the worst COVID-19 symptoms, possibly due to increased inflammation.

Study eases some of the concern about Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis creating undue infection risk.

Investigators say more research is warranted to optimize management of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) who become pregnant.

The retrospective analysis found Black patients were more likely to develop severe graft versus host disease (GVHD) and have a higher risk of nonrelapse mortality than White patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

When taken in combination with an ART regimen, metformin reduced the amount of HIV production and reduced inflammation by hindering production of the molecule that helps HIV multiply.

Roche's drug is one of a number competing to become the first Bruton's kinase inhibitors approved as a treatment for multiple sclerosis.

The data revealed that 17.1% of patients experienced grade 3 or greater arrhythmias.

Insight into nocturnal hot flash timing could provide clues about heart disease risk in perimenopausal women.

Researchers that clinical guidelines highlight the possibility of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other conditions masking early symptoms of lung cancer.

Lebrikizumab, not yet approved in the U.S., and Dupixent (dupilumab) were comparably effective in reducing symptoms after 16 weeks of treatment.

Kristi Funk, M.D., FACS, medical director and co founder of the Pink Lotus Breast Center, describes why there is a lack of awareness surrounding the link between breast cancer and nutrition.

The IQVIA vice president and frequent speaker at pharmaceutical and managed care meetings shares some insights after he delivered the keynote talk at 2024 PBMI Annual National Conference held last week in Orlando, Florida. Long, a well-known figure in managed care circles, announced at the PBMI meeting that he is retiring in 2025.

The rule places new requirements on plans, including making sure prior authorization and other utilization management tools for mental health are not stricter than those used for medical benefits.

Women with disadvantaged backgrounds may also benefit more than women with a higher socioeconomic status, study results show.

Kerri Tanner, Pharm.D., chief pharmacy officer of PayerAlly, discusses the dynamic pricing models of Waltz Health and Free Market Health as a way for independent specialty pharmacies to compete.

The researchers took what they said was a conservative approach when plugging variables such as one-time and future costs into their updated model.

Many provisions of the Affordable Care Act are popular and the healthcare reform law has brought the proportion of Americans without healthcare insurance down to an all-time low. As president, Donald Trump backed "repeal and replace" efforts.

Entyvio (vedolizumab) and Xeljanz (tofacitinib) are the most commonly studied therapies, according to the Pfizer-sponsored review, and when the two were compared, Xeljanz showed higher remission rates.

The two clinical trials will enroll patients recovering from surgical procedures.

Here's what you missed this week on Managed Healthcare Executive.

Kerri Tanner, Pharm.D., the chief pharmacy officer of PayerAlly, says payers are looking for ways to rein in the escalating costs of specialty pharmacy drugs beyond the traditional techniques used by pharmacy benefit managers.

Patrick Cooney, president of The Federal Group, says elimination of spread pricing is one of the three key elements of the PBM legislation that he believes is likely to pass during the lame-duck session of Congress after the Nov. 5 election.

Greg Baker, CEO of AffirmedRx, did not hold back in criticizing CVS Caremark, Optum Rx and Express Scripts and their group purchasing organizations today at the PBMI Annual National Conference.

Patrick Cooney, president of The Federal Group, a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm says prospects for legislation passing this year, albeit during the post-election lameduck session, are good partly because the PBM legislation would produce Medicare savings that could be put toward other uses.

Telehealth has become a permanent part of U.S. healthcare delivery, and states are taking steps to regulate it