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Progressive pulmonary fibrosis is not a diagnosis so much as a disease behavior and a clinical phenotype, says Anna-Maria Hoffmann-Vold, M.D., Ph.D., of Oslo University Hospital and the expert featured on this MHE K-Cast.

Environmental factors like diet and early antibiotic use have an impact on the gut microbiome and can contribute to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), explained Ashwin N. Ananthakrishnan, M.D., M.P.H., MGH, associate professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma accounts for approximately 90% of all esophageal cancer cases. Projections estimate that by 2040, there will be approximately 957,000 new cases of esophageal cancer worldwide, marking a nearly 60% increase from 2020, according to BeiGene.

It has been 10 years since the first biosimilar was approved by the FDA. The grades on how the market for biosimilars has developed are mixed.

Drugs in late-stage development may mean competition on price for two Pfizer medications that, by some accounts, are the most expensive cardiac medications in history.

Few question the benefits of adopting a universal healthcare data exchange standard but achieving that goal will prove to be difficult.

Facing a variety of financial pressures, health plans need to take a measured approach to identify supplemental benefit strategies that facilitate their success.

The FDA has accepted Amneal’s biologics licensing application for two biosimilars referencing Prolia and Xgeva.

Major Medicaid cuts may be overshadowing work requirements, but they remain a priority for Republicans. Work requirements are “bad health policy,” says Leanne Berge, J.D., CEO of the Community Health Plan of Washington, although they would not have as great an impact as the cuts that have been under discussion.

The new chief medical officer of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation speaks about patients in rural areas, research breakthroughs, the drug pipeline, and the Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) Act in an interview with Managed Healthcare Executive.

According to a KFF analysis, in 2020 an estimated 29% of Medicaid enrollees had a mental illness.

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

The FDA has accepted the biologics licensing application (BLA) resubmission for odronextamab, a potential treatment for relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

At what was supposed to be a hearing to discuss PBM reform, some in Congress veered off into discussions about Medicaid and maternal health, and even Elon Musk.

But major cuts to federal for Medicaid are a likely outcome of the $1.5-$2 trillion in spending cuts over the next 10 years that the Republican-backed budget resolution calls for.

Unlike some other spending cuts, Medicaid cuts will have direct impact on people who voted for Republicans in November 2024, according to Leanne Berge, health plan leader

Although the importance of ongoing education is known for patients, less than half of those with diabetes receive formal instruction on managing their condition.

After receiving the Day 74 letter, which outlines the FDA’s initial assessment of the application, the agency accepted Epioxa for review for efficacy and safety and plans to complete the process by October 20, 2025 under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA).

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

Obesity rates have spiked over the past few decades, displaying itself a significant crisis.

Conversations around menopause symptoms are becoming more common, but there is such a thing as potentially calling too much attention, especially in the workplace, according to Monica Christmas, M.D., director of the menopause program at the University of Chicago Medicine and the Center for Women’s Integrated Health.

Gaps in funding caused by the potential $5 billion budget cut to the National Institutes of Health would be “almost impossible” to fill, according to Aaron J. Kowalski, Ph.D., CEO of Breakthrough T1D.

In this role, Virtell will oversee the strategy, daily operations and expansion of Cigna Healthcare’s Supplemental Health division, which helps customers manage out-of-pocket expenses from serious illnesses or accidents.

Bias and stigma are to blame for the way women’s health research has fallen behind, according to Monica Christmas, M.D., director of UChicago Medicine’s menopause program and the Center for Women's Integrated Health and Valentina Sartori, Ph.D., a partner in McKinsey & Company’s Life Sciences Practice, and affiliated leader of the McKinsey Health Institute.

Funding will be cut to $10 million, which is a nearly 90% decrease from 2024’s budget of $98 million.

Lenacapavir is a twice-yearly injectable medication designed to be used as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The FDA is giving this drug a priority review and expects to make a decision by June 19, 2025, according to a release.