News

Sixty-two percent of enrollees choose Silver plans

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), FDA, 10 biopharmaceutical companies, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, and several nonprofit organizations have launched an unprecedented public/private partnership to “transform the current model for developing new diagnostics and treatments by jointly identifying and validating promising biological targets of disease,” announced a recent statement from the NIH.

After examining the latest research on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)-specifically whether naproxen carries lower cardiovascular (CV) risks than ibuprofen-an FDA panel has voted down the CV safety claim for naproxen.

SGR fix moves toward accountable care

For the first time, guidelines have been developed for preventing stroke in women.

Engaging pharmacists in healthcare information technology is crucial to increasing overall medication adherence in healthcare, panelists on the “Connected Health, Better Adherence” roundtable at the Pew Conference Center in Washington, DC, told attendees last week.

An interdisciplinary group of pharmacists, pharmacy school and medical school faculty, pharmacy students, nurses, physicians, attorneys, and health advocates have called on Walgreens and Rite Aid to join CVS Caremark and stop the sale of tobacco products in their stores.

Narrow networks keep premiums low, but how narrow is too narrow?

CVS Caremark is recognizing that cigarettes and pharmacies don't mix and will stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products at its more than 7,600 CVS/pharmacy stores across the United States by October 1, 2014. This move makes CVS/pharmacy the first national pharmacy chain to take this step in support of the health and well-being of its patients and customers.

Care management firm also brings with it software capabilities that aggregate clinical and claims data

Estimates show a reduction in expected coverage levels in 2014.

Complex diseases present complex challenges for researchers, clinicians, drug manufacturers, and FDA for a variety of reasons. The impact, however, is felt at the patient level, particularly when there are no FDA-approved treatments. In some cases, such as myalgic encephalomyelitis, commonly known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), the devastating effects of the disease are exacerbated by the huge deficit in the drug application and approval pipeline. This leaves the patient population with little hope.

Researchers recently determined that acute otitis media is associated with an incremental increase in outpatient health care costs of $314 per child per year in the United States, which translates into approximately $2.88 billion in added health care expense annually.

Anti-muscarinic drugs are an option in the treatment of overactive bladder which is defined as urinary urgency with or without urge incontinence, usually accompanied by frequency and nocturia, in the absence of a urinary tract infection or other obvious pathology.Oral oxybutynin has been available by prescription for over 40 years, initially marketed as Ditropan® and Ditropan XL® although now generically availably, in addition to the transdermal patch Oxytrol and transdermal gel Gelnique. As an antagonist at muscarinic receptors, oxybutynin leads to relaxation of the smooth muscle of the bladder which leads to increased bladder capacity, decreased involuntary contractions and decreased urgency and frequency of both voluntary and incontinent episodes. The suggested dose is one patch applied for 4 consecutive days, after which the patch should be removed and a new one applied.

Adding evolocumab (Amgen) to statin therapy may help patients control their low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels when high doses of statins are not sufficient, according to results from a recent phase 3 study.

"Nudging" doctors with signed commitment letter in exam rooms lowered inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions for cold symptoms by nearly 20%, according to a study in JAMA Internal Medicine.

HHS: Exchange plans should respond to consumer wants

Four are easy, but one is not so easy

States expecting the woodwork effect

Four key developments to watch for

Just above Medicaid eligibility, the plans could stabilize coverage for low-income members

Use telemedicine to increase provider reach

Consumers expect more from healthcare

Consider tailored approaches for health management

Q&A with Charles Kennedy, MD

Ohio volunteer enrolls just two people in three months

Choose your goals before crunching numbers

Avoidable costs amount to more than $1 trillion