News

Where on-again, off-again has landed us

Better care coordination is needed

Many children are without dental benefits

Plans seek new strategies to assess drug value, ensure appropriate prescribing

Industry updates in business, health management

Spike in U.S. cases signals need for new collaborative healthcare strategies

Quality program to provide value, identify clinically effective solutions

Women who are regular users of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) should be aware that these medications may increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular events, according to a study published in the July issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.

Psoriasis patients treated with interleukin-17A (IL-17A) inhibitor secukinumab demonstrated statistically significant skin clearance, according to in 2 pivotal phase 3 studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Older men treated with intramuscular testosterone did not appear to have an increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI). For men with high MI risk, testosterone use was modestly protective against MI, according to a study published in Annals of Pharmacotherapy

Otherwise healthy, non-smoking adults with BMI values within the class III obesity range may considerably extend their life expectancy by avoiding additional weight gain, according to a study published in PLOS Medicine.

Aptiom (eslicarbazepine acetate) is an oral antiepileptic tablet that was approved by FDA on November 8, 2013, as an add-on medication to treat seizure disorders that can be associated with epilepsy.

FDA approved tavaborole (Kerydin, Anacor Pharmaceuticals) topical solution, 5%, which is the first oxaborole antifungal approved for the topical treatment of onychomycosis of the toenails.

FDA approved coagulation factor VIIa [recombinant] (NovoSeven RT, Novo Nordisk), for the treatment of Glanzmann’s thrombasthenia, a rare genetic bleeding disorder.

Adverse reactions to antipsychotics, antidepressants, sedatives and anxiolytics, lithium salts or stimulant drugs are responsible for almost 90,000 emergency department (ED) visits each year by US adults, according to a study in JAMA Psychiatry.

Drug overdose deaths in the United States increased for the 11th consecutive year in 2010, according to an analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and. continued to rise in 2011, the most recent year for which data were available.

Individuals with a large waist circumference may face a higher risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study published July 7 in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Postoperative antibiotics after cholecystectomy (gallbladder surgery) do not reduce the risk of infection, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

One in five elderly patients are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of leaving, according to government data.

In adult patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on metformin monotherapy-the current standard of treatment- canagliflozin (Invokana) 100 mg and 300 mg reduced relative risk for myocardial infarction (1.6% and 3.0%) and congestive heart failure (2.7% and 4.0%), as compared to sitagliptin 100 mg, according to findings of the health economic simulation analysis presented at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions in San Francisco.

There are some risks associated with some childhood vaccinations, but overall the evidence shows that vaccines are very safe, according a study published in the July 1 online edition and the August print issue of Pediatrics.

In response to rising compounding drug costs, pharmacy benefit managers, such as Express Scripts, have made moves to restrict their coverage for active ingredients used by compounding pharmacies.

Employees now have the ability to carry over up to $500 in unused funds into the next plan year

Many consumers still do not understand fundamental insurance concepts

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) released new technical specifications for the 2015 edition of the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS).

The industry has and will continue to evolve

In 2013, the adult obesity rate was 27.1%, up from 5.5% 2008

The cost and time commitment to develop new drugs has increased significantly over the last few decades. A variety of factors come into play, but on average, in terms of total expenditures, it has taken from $3 to $5 billion and up to 15 years to bring a new drug to market. Even after all that time and money, with challenging regulatory requirements and other factors, the odds of a new compound making it from the lab to the pharmacy are miniscule. The chance for a new drug to make it to market is a sobering 1 in 5000.