News

New indication: Bevacizumab (Avastin), a monoclonal antibody, was approved on July 31, 2009, for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma in combination with interferon alfa

Generic drug approved by FDA (through September 2009): tacrolimus capsules

The P&T committee is positioned to provide knowledge, strategies to improve treatment of patients with cardiometabolic disorders.

Recent FDA approvals (through September 2009) related to Saphris, Tracleer, Livalo, Tyvaso, Tekturna HCT, Onsolis, Forteo, Invega Sustenna, Colcrys, Acuvail, Lipsovir, and Kogenate FS

New molecular entity: Saxagliptin (Onglyza), a DPP-4 inhibitor, was approved on July 31, 2009, for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus

New formulation: Sumatriptan (Sumavel DosePro) formulated as a needle-free injection was approved on July 15, 2009, for the acute treatment of migraine and cluster headaches

Recent FDA action (through September 2009) related to cethromycin, pegloticase, guanfacine, denosumab, apaziquone, TZP-102, and beclomethasone 17,21-dipropionate

Golimumab is a human anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha monoclonal antibody that was recently approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis.

Agents in late-stage development for the treatment of Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and short bowel syndrome

Insurers believe the campaign aims to distract attention away from faltering support for public plan option

Commonwealth Fund State Performance Ranking (2007):8

If we stay on this course, premiums will increase another 94% by 2020

Emerging markets provide some potential for new members while retaining current members requires improved service offerings

MCOs must evaluate outcomes of pilot programs before concluding that cost savings will follow quality trends

An EHR is one technology within the health IT portfolio, which also includes e-prescribing, clinical decision support, messaging and alerting, telehealth, consumer health information portals and other technologies

If passed, the Medicare Telehealth Enhancement Act introduced earlier this year promises to greatly expand telehealth programs

With plenty of potential information to be communicated among health professionals, pharmacists shouldn't be left out. For many, the pharmacist is the face of healthcare.

Better diagnosis, better compliance and less waste are goals of patient evaluation surveys

The Senate Finance Committee is hammering out a bipartisan bill while other leaders will drive ultimate implementation

Recognize the interrelated health risks among four prevalent conditions to better manage big-picture treatment goals

State performance scorecard tracks uninsured kids, access, quality and costs. Often lack of data stalls quality incentives in pediatrics

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has prematurely terminated a trial of sildenafil for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in adult patients with sickle cell disease because of safety concerns.

After completing an analysis of safety data for tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-blockers, FDA has stated that there is an increased risk of lymphoma and other cancers in pediatric patients who are treated with these agents.

Lundbeck and Solvay have announced that they are discontinuing development of bifeprunox for the maintenance treatment of schizophrenia.

Lilly and BioMS Medical reported that their investigational agent dirucotide did not meet the primary end point of delaying disease progression in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) in the phase 3 MAESTRO-01 trial.

A study published in Urology demonstrated that alpha-blocker use is associated with a lower risk of sexual dysfunction in men aged >40 years.

Initiation of antipsychotic therapy associated with hyperglycemia in older diabetic patients

With healthcare-reform legislation moving forward, insurers, providers, and pharmaceutical companies are keeping a sharp eye on policy proposals likely to affect coverage, costs, and benefits. Various constituencies in the healthcare community are supporting initiatives that will increase access to healthcare and make the nation's costly healthcare system more efficient and effective.

The rate of hospitalizations that involved an injury likely due to osteoporosis increased 55% since 1995, to just more than 254,000 hospital stays totaling $2.4 billion in hospital costs in 2006, according to AHRQ.

Activity and progress increase on the exchange of health information electronically between physicians, hospitals, plans and patients, while cost savings have been identified.