The University of Utah Drug Information Service reports an unprecedented rise in shortages; cultural ethos and modern pressures contribute to sleep deprivation across the nation; rising death rates underscore the urgent need for expanded access to prevention and treatment measures
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What We’re Reading: Medicaid Coverage Unwinding; Subscription-Based Health Care; Measles Surging
April 12th 2024Nearly a quarter of adults disenrolled from Medicaid are now uninsured; a new bill in Alaska will allow primary care providers to offer care based on monthly fees; the CDC warns of a 17-fold increase in measles cases in the first quarter of 2024.
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What We’re Reading: Medicare Funding for SCD Gene Therapies; Long COVID Moonshot; Rise in Mpox Cases
April 11th 2024Funding proposal includes gene therapies for sickle cell disease (SCD); draft legislation aims to address long COVID challenges; efforts are underway to prevent a summer surge.
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What We’re Reading: Telehealth Debate; STD Rise Among Older Adults; PFAS Limits in Water
April 10th 2024Lawmakers are under pressure to decide the fate of COVID-era telehealth payment changes; the CDC reports an alarming increase in sexually transmitted disease (STD) cases among Americans 55 years and older; new regulations aim to reduce harmful exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.”
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There is discrepancy between the FDA’s accelerated approval decisions and clinical benefits in cancer treatments; former President Donald Trump’s video statement avoids a clear stance on national abortion legislation; 40% of therapists say they will increase their fees this year.
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CMS finalizes policies to enhance consumer protections, promote competition, and expand access to care for Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicare Part D; digital therapeutic Rejoyn receives FDA clearance for adults with major depressive disorder (MDD); study reveals minimal symptom reduction from nirmatrelvir–ritonavir (Paxlovid) in high-risk, fully vaccinated patients.
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The newest treatment approved for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) will be withdrawn from the market due to negative clinical trial results; former President Trump’s surgeon general is advocating for conservative states to support needle exchanges; new US hepatitis C infections dropped slightly in 2022 after more than a decade of steady increases.
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Antismoking groups sued the US government over the long-awaited menthol cigarette ban; the fill rate for Adderall and Vyvanse dropped more than 10% in 2 years despite soaring demand; the Biden administration has responded to offers from the manufacturers of drugs selected for Medicare pricing negotiations.
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Challenges of Real-World Adoption of Effective Therapies, Practices to Treat Newly Diagnosed MM
April 2nd 2024There are now highly effective therapies to treat newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM), but it will still take time for them to be adopted in practice, said Chakra Chaulagain MD, FACP, hematologist/oncologist, Maroone Cancer Center of Cleveland Clinic Florida.
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The Biden administration finalized a new regulation that curbs the use of short-term health insurance plans that do not comply with the Affordable Care Act (ACA); the CDC issued an advisory on Thursday alerting health care providers about an increase in invasive meningococcal disease; the number of US tuberculosis (TB) cases in 2023 was the highest in a decade.
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CMS released a final rule to help patients obtain Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage and issued a proposed rule to update Medicare payment policies and rates for inpatient rehabilitation facilities; debate over if gift card incentives are acceptable in health care marketing.
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Dr Chakra Chaulagain: PFS Is the "Bare Minimum," but OS Is Ideal for Choosing Between MM Therapies
March 28th 2024Response rates are important when choosing between therapies to treat multiple myeloma (MM), but improvement overall survival (OS) is the ideal, said Chakra Chaulagain MD, FACP, hematologist/oncologist, Maroone Cancer Center of Cleveland Clinic Florida.
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The Supreme Court seems likely to reject a challenge to the abortion pill mifepristone; the FDA is inspecting far fewer pharmaceutical companies conducting clinical research; AstraZeneca has sued to block an Arkansas law that it said would unlawfully expand the 340B program to include for profit-pharmacy chains.
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New Treatments for Newly Diagnosed MM Offer a Lot of Benefit, but Key Knowledge Gaps Remain
March 25th 2024While there is, rightfully, a lot of optimism around the latest treatments for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, not everyone is gaining the same benefit, said Kenneth Shain, MD, PhD, of H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center.
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The White House has called out the Republican Study Committee’s budget proposal for backing legislation that would put restrictions on abortion access; nearly 108,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2022; surgeons in Boston have transplanted a kidney from a genetically engineered pig into an ailing 62-year-old man.
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CMS is highly likely to negotiate the price of the obesity medication semaglutide in the coming years; many health care providers are trying to determine whether their cyberattack insurance will help cover their losses after the Change Healthcare hack; the US life expectancy increased for the first time in 2 years.
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