Peter Wehrwein, Managing Editor

William Flanary, M.D.., has a huge social media following as Dr. Glaucomflecken, a character he created on Twitter when he was an ophthalmology resident in Iowa. More than 13,400 people have registered to attend the American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference, which is being held this weekend at the San Diego Convention Center.

Debra Boyer, M.D., M.H.P.E., discussed the program of the 2024 American Thoracic Society International Conference in San Diego and the limits of artificial intelligence.

Some research has suggested that omega-3 fatty acid supplements could help treat dry eye disease. But Korean investigators reported results from a randomized clinical trial this week in JAMA Ophthalmology tthat showed no benefit.

The Biotechnology Innovation Organization has some suggestions, including "platform designation" by FDA and changes at the CDC.

This month's episode of the Meet the Board podcast features a new member of our editorial advisory board, Marci J. Chodroff, MD, FACP, vice president of Medical Affairs at Magellan Rx Management, a Prime Therapeutics company.

The splashy meeting with more than 7,000 people in attendance reflects the growth of the specialty pharmacy sector.

Health plans that use Optum Rx as their pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) will be allowed to tier their coverage of GLP-1s and still receive rebates under an agreement the PBM has reached with the manufacturers, says the PBM president. Optum officials said later that the negotiations were still ongoing,

The retired four-start Navy admiral shared lessons learned from his training as a Navy SEAL and other parts of his life in his keynote address.

Optum and Takeda executives discuss their efforts to collaborate on implementing a value-based care for people with inflammatory bowel disease.

The growth in spending on the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists is a “mega tsunami,” said Doug Long, MBA, vice president industry relations for IQVIA. The script that specialty drugs are the main drivers of U.S. drug expenditures may need some revision.

How the Inflation Reduction Act is implemented and the role of pharmacy benefit managers in drug pricing are likely to be two areas that could look very different after the 2024 election.

Cencora’s Corey Ford says after the IRA’s out-of-pocket cap goes into effect next year, Part D plans are expected to put in place more narrow drug coverage and pharma companies will likely face a more competitive environment.

Physician shortages and retail pharmacy closures are creating areas without access to healthcare in rural regions and inner cities, warns Luke Greenwalt, vice president, market access, at IQVIA.

Newly launched drugs coming are facing payer controls and other hurdles, says Luke Greenwalt, vice president, market access, at IQVIA.

The way the drugs have taken off, combined with the number of people in the U.S. who are obese, have made the GLP-1s "an acute problem for every U.S. payer,” says George Van Antwerp, MBA, a manager director at Deloitte.

The GLP-1s and some of the migraine drugs are included in this category of drugs that are priced to cost between $5,000 and $15,000 a year and are dispensed at a retail pharmacies, George Van Antwerp, MBA, a managing director at Deloitte, explains.

GLP-1s, artificial intelligence and the Inflation Reduction Act are among the topics featured in the education sessions of the specialty pharmacy meeting in Las Vegas. The keynote speaker is William McRaven, a retired four-star admiral and former chancellor of the University of Texas system.

Results published in the journal Ophthalmology find no risk reduction from daily one-gram capsules of omega-3 fatty acids.

Leaders at UC Davis Health created an emerging therapies committee to review and prepare for the wave of treatments that cost millions of dollars.

After the onboarding of cell and gene therapy bogged using normal pharmacy and therapeutics (P&T) committee procedures, UC Davis Health set up an emerging therapeutics committee to streamline and speed up the process of delivery expensive cell and gene therapies.

Andel, principal of CommonHealth Solutions LLC, weighed in on potential strategies and challenges for Part D plans in navigating medication formulary limitations during catastrophic coverage phases in this second part of a two-part video series.

One result of the Inflation Reduction Act shifting a greater proportion the cost of drugs during the catastrophic phase of coverage to the Part D plans result may be narrower formularies.

Adam Colborn outlined four trends in state-level action on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and drugs in an interview prior to this presentation at the annual meeting of Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) today.

Ross Margulies, J.D., M.P.H., a partner at the Foley Hoag law firm, discusses whether proposed transparency rules in the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) legislation that Congress is considering might apply to the PBM-affiliated group purchasing organizations.

Ross Margulies, J.D., M.P.H., a partner at the Foley Hoag law firm, discusses proposals to “delink” what pharmacy benefit managers are paid from the price of drugs.

Ross Margulies, J.D., M.P.H., a partner at the Foley Hoag law firm, says there is broad agreement on transparency provisions and a ban on spread pricing in Medicaid.

The Access to Prescription Digital Therapeutics Act remains a top priority for the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), according to Jennifer L. Mathieu, AMCP senior vice president of professional and government affairs.

Millennials (1981–1996), burdened by health problems and costly