News

There are no beneficial effects of supplementation with relatively low doses of B vitamins and/or omega-3 fatty acids on cancer outcomes in individuals with prior cardiovascular disease, according to a study published online February 13 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) wants all US adults to get vaccinated against whooping cough, according to the Associated Press. The panel voted to expand its recommendation to include all those aged 65 years and older who haven?t gotten a whooping cough shot as an adult.

FDA announced a series of steps to increase the supply of critically needed cancer drugs, including temporarily importing an unapproved drug from India. The moves are building on President Barack Obama's executive order to help prevent future drug shortages, FDA said

Physicians should prescribe oral metformin as a first-line therapy for most patients with type 2 diabetes, as well as for those whose blood sugar cannot be controlled with diet, exercise, and weight loss, according to new guidelines from the American College of Physicians.

The National Quality Forum (NQF) has approved for endorsement four measures on healthcare resource use and costs focusing on diabetes and cardiovascular care costs as well as total primary-care costs.

Surescripts has released study findings that link e-prescribing to a significant increase in first-fill medication adherence and healthcare savings.

Cost rules benefit design

Cost concerns continue to dominate benefit design, according to findings from The Zitter Group’s Managed Care Benefit Design Index: Emerging Trends in Access.

Insurers go global

GeoBlue, a new insurance product made available to companies through a partnership with Highway to Health Worldwide, Inc., will provide global health plans services to BCBSMA members.

Healthcare systems looking to innovate might do well to avoid completely open or closed models, according to research by the Innosight Institute, a not-for-profit think tank.

Nursing home residents with dementia who use average doses of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are three times more likely to have a fall resulting in injury compared with those who don’t use SSRIs, according a study published online January 18 in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology

Researchers are warning pediatricians, pediatric hospitalists and intensivists of the potential for intravenous acetaminophen dosing errors, especially in young patients under 2 years old.

Following a priority review, FDA has approved an update to imatinib mesylate (Gleevec, Novartis) tablets? label to recommend 36 months of treatment after surgery for adult patients with KIT (CD117)-positive gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) who met the risk of recurrence inclusion criteria of the pivotal trial.

FDA approved sitagliptin and metformin hydrochloride (HCl) extended-release (Janumet XR, Merck) tablets, a new treatment for type 2 diabetes that combines sitagliptin, which is the active component of Januvia (sitagliptin), with extended-release metformin.