News

FDA has approved pomalidomide (Pomalyst, Celgene) to treat patients who have received at least 2 prior therapies including lenalidomide and bortezomib and have demonstrated disease progression on or within 60 days of completion of the last therapy.

Physicians who attended a medical school with an active gift restriction policy were subsequently less like to prescribe newly marketed psychotropic medications over older, cheaper alternatives, according to a study published in the January 2013 issue of BMJ.

Calcium from diet sources was not related to death from cardiovascular disease in women, but may increase the risk in men, according to a study published recently in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Despite availability of many therapies indicated for bowel disorders, there is still an unmet need and heterogeneity among these patients, necessitating availability of a wide variety of therapeutics. Awareness of potential new products, their key benefits, and where they may fit into the treatment paradigm will be important when making decisions impacting patients and physicians, according to new analysis.

FDA issued a proposal designed to assist companies developing new treatments for patients in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, before the onset of overt dementia.

FDA has alerted healthcare professionals that a counterfeit version of the cancer drug Avastin was distributed in the United States.

Because Tamiflu has been in short supply recently, pharmacists and other healthcare providers are being warned about confusion over emergency compounding of the drug.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has published a policy statement to provide pediatricians with recommendations for assessing and treating Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) in children.

FDA’s approval of the first generic version of the cancer drug Doxil (doxorubicin hydrochloride liposome injection) could help alleviate shortages.

The development and implementation of evidence-based appropriateness criteria may help reduce costs associated with an increase in elective procedures.

A think-tank report calls for national agenda to hold spending down to the growth in GDP per capita

ARBs and ACE inhibitors prolong life and help patients maintain daily living activities.

The new middle class represents an opportunity to sell health insurance products outside the United States

Hospitals have not gotten a break in the budget battles but few are changing their financial strategy

Among the list of changes that consumers simply are not ready to face is value-based purchasing and reduced care based on evidence

Quality rating processes will begin in 2016 for insurance exchanges, and iindustry groups recommend using current measures

In partnership with the Mayo Clinic, a UnitedHealthcare unit is putting data to work in a new facility to drive improved outcomes

Five key functions must be included in your provider-facing portal

Insurers see higher unit costs and increased utilization while HHS examines premium hikes

Navigators will be the boots on the ground helping millions of Americans enroll in exchange plans

Predictive analysis can link suspicious behavior back to fraudsters before claims are paid out

AHA notes that four out of five seniors have chronic conditions

The Medicaid program currently covers 60 million people, but it's about explode in terms of cost and enrollment

Canagliflozin is a sodium glucose co-transporter inhibitor under review for FDA approval for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Patients who take a combination of diuretics and either angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and add NSAIDs, have an increased risk of acute kidney injury, according to a study online in BMJ.

Polypharmacy screening has the significant potential to improve medication safety.

FDA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a warning letter to Flu and Cold Defense LLC (Boca Raton, Fla.) for making misleading, unproven claims about its GermBullet inhaler, and said the company has been marketing an untested inhaled formula as a flu remedy in violation of drug safety regulations.

FDA has approved mipomersen sodium (Kynamro, Genzyme and Isis Pharmaceuticals) once-a-week injection as an addition to lipid-lowering medications and diet to treat patients with a rare type of high cholesterol called homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH). The addition of Kynamro helps to reduce low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), apolipoprotein B, total cholesterol, and non-high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (non HDL-C).