News

FDA advisers recommended in early June the easing of restrictions on the diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia, GlaxoSmithKline), following an independent re-examination of GSK’s RECORD study conducted by Duke Clinical Research Institute.

Telmisartan and valsartan, used to reduce blood pressure in people with diabetes, are associated with a lower risk of hospitalization for heart attack, stroke, or heart failure, according to a study published on the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) continues to receive reports of dose measurement confusion with HumuLIN R U-500 concentrated insulin injection, according to a recent safety alert from the agency.

The use of electronic health records (EHRs) saved more than 3% in ambulatory health costs but did not reduce overall inpatient costs, according to a new study.

The new update to the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) guideline on the pharmacologic interventions for breast cancer risk reduction now lists aromatase inhibitor exemestane (Aromasin, Pfizer) as an option for postmenopausal women for primary risk reduction that are at an increased risk of developing invasive breast cancer.

With 40% of drugs in this country coming from other nations and 80% of active ingredient manufacturers located outside the United States, last year Congress gave FDA new powers to oversee those products.

A nonprofit dedicated to ensuring online pharmacy safety, whose roots date back to an informal advocacy group started 4 years ago, was this week officially chartered in Washington, D.C.

According to the World Health Organization, only 50% of patients living with a chronic illness take their medication on time as directed. An American dies every 19 minutes from skipping medication or taking meds incorrectly, costing US hospitals more than $100 billion every year.

When hospitals consolidate, what will fix the effect on pricing?

Medication nonadherence drives $105 billion in annual costs.

Plans risk losing group contracts with alternative healthcare purchasing choices becoming available.

Employer shared responsibility delayed, and more guidance is forthcoming

Investigators had already determined that the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) formulation slowed the progression to advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD), with a 25% decrease in the likelihood of progression to advanced AMD compared with placebo.

Obesity is associated with an increased risk of infection. Unfortunately clinical trials examining the safety and efficacy of antibiotics in obese patients are deficient. Thus, clinicians predominately rely on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data for appropriate antibiotic dosing. The current literature for vancomycin, aminoglycosides, beta-lactams, fluoroquinolones, linezolid, and macrolides was reviewed to evaluate appropriate dosing in obese patients. Due to the limited number of studies and various pharmacokinetic parameters of antibiotics, dosing should be based on both patient- and drug-specific factors.

ICORE Healthcare-a subsidiary of Magellan Pharmacy Solutions-released the latest installment of its annual Medical Pharmacy & Oncology Trend Report.1 This report is unique in that it is the only trend and spend report that looks specifically at the medical benefit, under which almost half of all specialty pharmaceutical costs are currently managed and paid. Now in its third year, the report’s findings indicate that specialty pharmaceuticals are continuing to play an increasingly large role in managed care plan budgets and are certainly deserving of the increased payer attention they are receiving.

Prime Therapeutics LLC (Prime) helps people get the medicine they need to feel better and live well. The company is headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., and manages pharmacy benefits for health plans, employers, and government programs including Medicare and Medicaid. The company processes claims and delivers medicine to nearly 20 million members, offering clinical services for people with complex medical conditions. Prime is collectively owned by 13 Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans, subsidiaries or affiliates of those plans.

In April 2013, FDA approved doxylamine succinate 10 mg, pyridoxine hydrochloride 10 mg (Diclegis, Duchesnay) for the treatment of nausea and vomiting in pregnant women who do not respond to conservative management. Diclegis is a delayed-release formulation combining 10 mg of the antihistamine doxylamine succinate and 10 mg of the vitamin B6 analog pyridoxine hydrochloride. This combination was once marketed in the United States as Bendectin. However, legal suits claiming related birth defects forced the manufacturer to withdraw Bendectin from the market in the 1980s. Doxylamine/pyridoxine has not been studied in women with hyperemesis gravidarum.

The 4-year data from the landmark ENESTnd (Evaluating Nilotinib Efficacy and Safety in Clinical Trials – Newly Diagnosed Patients) trial continues to demonstrate the improved clinical benefit of front-line nilotinib (Tasigna) versus imatinib (Gleevec) in patients with newly diagnosed, Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic phase

For chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients with minimal residual disease on long-term imatinib (Gleevec) therapy, switching to nilotinib (Tasigna) can lead to deep, sustained responses.

The effectiveness of new drugs compared with that of older drugs has fallen since the 1970s, according to a new study in Health Affairs.

The Men’s Health Network (MHN) is hoping actor Michael Douglas’ assertion that his throat cancer was caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) contracted during oral sex will provoke more males to get the HPV vaccine.

Face-to-face interaction between pharmacists and patients will be key to the success or failure of the federal government’s Million Hearts initiative to prevent heart attacks and strokes, Salvatore Giorgianni, PharmD, told participants during the June 3 State of Men’s Heart Webinar.

The addition of everolimus, an mTOR inhibitor, to trastuzumab and vinorelbine in heavily pretreated advanced breast cancer patients led to a 22% reduction in the risk of disease progression in the first phase 3 study showing that inhibition of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 positive (HER2+) receptor and mTOR provides significant benefit in HER2+ advanced breast cancer.

Octreotide LAR not only prolongs time to progression (TTP) but also appears to extend overall survival (OS) in a subgroup of patients with metastatic midgut neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and a low hepatic load.

Incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has decreased dramatically since its emergence in the early 1980s, but it remains a worldwide epidemic. There is a reduction in newly diagnosed patients, but prevalence is increasing due to a longer life expectancy, which is attributed in part to highly effective antiretroviral therapies. Newly approved and investigational antiretroviral therapies provide additional options for the healthcare team to prevent progression of disease as well as transmission of HIV. Early detection and prevention of HIV is still paramount with the use of in-home HIV testing as well as antiretrovirals for pre-exposure prophylaxis. While many advances in HIV diagnosis and treatment have been made, the importance of education and risk avoidance cannot be underestimated.

Complete response, priority review and orphan drug designations.

Educating pediatricians in their offices, auditing their prescription patterns, and leveraging a shared electronic health record, encourages them to choose more appropriate antibiotics for children with common respiratory infections, according to a study published in the June 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Medicinal cannabis, despite its emerging popularity, presents unique issues to managed care and hospital decision makers. Exactly how does a quasi-legal substance, which has existed outside the sphere of mainstream medicine, become integrated into a traditional hospital and managed care setting?