New Bill Bans Pharmacist Gag Orders
Congress has passed two bills prohibiting “gag clauses” in contracts between pharmacies and insurance companies or pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The legislation – one...
DOJ Approves the $69 Billion CVS-Aetna Merger
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) approved the merger of the pharmacy and health-care provider CVS Health with insurer Aetna, paving the way for...
FDA Approves DNA-Based Blood Compatibility Test
The FDA granted approval to ID CORE XT, a molecular-based assay that can be used to determine blood donor and patient compatibility. ID CORE...
HHS Considering Requiring Pharmaceutical Ads to Include Prices
To provide incentives for pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed requiring certain consumer-directed television...
Generics Manufacturers and Consumer Advocates Criticize Revamped NAFTA Deal
The recently updated North American Free Trade Agreement, now known as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), includes a 10-year exclusivity period for biologics, which is...
FDA Approves New Hemophilia A Drug
The FDA has approved emicizumab-kxwh as prophylaxis to prevent or reduce the frequency of bleeding episodes in adult and pediatric patients with hemophilia A...
Preventing Hepatitis B Virus Reactivation During Immunochemotherapy for Lymphoma
Administering prophylactic antiviral treatment is effective in preventing hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation in patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) being treated with an...
Do Children With CVC-Related Thromboses Need Anticoagulation Treatment?
Results from a prospective study of children who were hospitalized in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) revealed that the incidence of central vein...
No Benefit With Adding Eltrombopag to Azacitidine in Patients With Higher-Risk MDS
In the phase III SUPPORT trial, researchers tested the hypothesis that concomitant administration of the thrombopoietin receptor agonist eltrombopag could ameliorate the thrombocytopenic effects...
FDA Approves Once-Weekly Carfilzomib Combo for Relapsed or Refractory MM
The FDA has approved a combination of once-weekly carfilzomib with dexamethasone for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (MM). This...
Current Issue
December 2018, Volume 4, Issue 14
This issue features a look at the consequences of medical errors, an update on the Cancer Moonshot Initiative, a preview of 2018 ASH Annual Meeting, and more.
