News

The confluence of two factors is making it increasingly seductive for stakeholders to consider entering the MA market, but all is not idyllic.

Nearly four in 10 organizations that offer health insurance through state exchanges also operate a Medicaid managed care plan in the same state, offering an opportunity for continuous coverage for low-income consumers.

Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) Trade Press Scientists are working to develop breakthrough therapies for pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest cancers affecting men and women.

Amgen has announced positive results from a clinical study evaluating the safety and efficacy of biosimilar candidate, ABP 501, compared with Humira (adalimumab) in patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis.

The American Lung Association has called for a halt to the sale of all tobacco products at all retailers with pharmacies.

Because there was no approved medication treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) until mid-October, 2014, physicians primarily focused on non-pharmacological treatments to help patients improve. Even with FDA’s approval of nintedanib (Ofev) and pirfenidone (Esbriet), physicians will continue to recommend certain therapies that generally ease symptoms and improve patients’ quality of life.

While physicians laud FDA’s approval of nintedanib (Ofev) and pirfenidone (Esbriet) for treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)-the first approved medications to treat the disease in the United Sates-they don’t know how to use them.

New York’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) will take steps to help strengthen cyber hacking defenses for insurers.

Antiviral drug oseltamavir (Tamiflu, Roche) shortens the length of flu symptoms by about 1 day, and reduces respiratory infections that sometimes develop by 44%, according to a study published in The Lancet.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently issued a final rule that updates requirements and strengthens program integrity efforts.

Public and private insurers are seizing the opportunity to devise programs that promote preventive care and positive behaviors.

The demand for price transparency in healthcare continues to grow, spurred in part by the increase of high-deductible healthcare plans.

The percentage of employers and plans offering wellness incentives is steadily rising, and program designs are becoming more diverse.

Payers recognize a growing need for more comprehensive payment methodologies that adequately represent the true market cost of health services today.

Two recent studies show that members who obtain health insurance through state or federal insurance exchanges use more specialty and generic drugs than their counterparts in commercial plans.

FDA has expanded the approved use of ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech) to treat diabetic retinopathy in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME).

It is possible to get treatments to stroke patients even before they arrive at a hospital, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Managed care and hospital decision-makers are in a key position to “move the needle” at the system level on improving adult immunization coverage rates in the United States.

After six years on the job, FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg, MD, is resigning from her position. Her tenure has ushered in personalized medicine and faster approval of several drug classes.

Non-medication strategies were effective in hospital patients with delirium, according a new study published in the February 2 edition of the JAMA Internal Medicine.

A reprieve has been granted for Medicare beneficiaries who may have been confused or misinformed about the pharmacy details of their 2015 Aetna prescription drug plans.

In what may be the biggest breach in healthcare, as many as 80 million records of current and former Anthem customers have been hacked, The New York Times reported.

FDA has approved olopatadine hydrochloride ophthalmic solution (Pazeo, Alcon, a division of Novartis) 0.7% for the treatment of ocular itch relief related to eye allergies.

Ibrance is a potent and selective inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) 4 and 6, which complex with a regulatory protein, called cyclin, to control cancer cell cycling. The FDA has approved it for use in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

FDA approved TissuGlu (Cohera Medical Inc.), the first tissue adhesive approved for internal use.

Diabetic non-smokers taking metformin have a lower lung cancer risk compared with those who do not take metformin, according to a study published in Cancer Prevention Research.

Given the spending growth projections for biologics, successful managed care organizations must find a way to ensure appropriate adoption of biosimilars, according to a study published in Health Affairs’ February issue.

Many patients hospitalized with severe heart failure are receiving potentially harmful treatment with intravenous fluids, according to a Yale-led study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC): Heart Failure