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How a drug company under pressure for high prices ratchets up political activity

Business looked challenging for Novo Nordisk at the end of 2016. As pressure mounted over the pharma giant's soaring insulin prices, investors drove its stock down by a third on fears that policymakers would take action, limit prices and hurt profits.

30 Apr 2018

BIO issues statement regarding Opioid Addiction Action Plan Act

BIO President and CEO Jim Greenwood issued the following statement regarding the Opioid Addiction Action Plan Act, introduced yesterday in the Senate by Senators Heller (R-NV), Isakson (R-GA), and Menendez (D-NJ).

28 Apr 2018

Best reads of the week from Brianna Labuskes

Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes, who reads everything on health care to compile our daily Morning Briefing, offers the best and most provocative stories for the weekend.

28 Apr 2018

New results reinforce COPAXONE 40 mg/mL as safe and effective for RMS patients

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., today announced up to 7-year efficacy, safety and tolerability results from the Glatiramer Acetate Low-Frequency Administration (GALA) open-label extension study of COPAXONE (glatiramer acetate injection) 40 mg/mL administered subcutaneously three-times-a-week for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS).

28 Apr 2018

Dissecting the rhetoric vs. reality of Trump’s tough talk on drug prices

President Donald Trump has railed against the high price of prescription drugs and famously bemoaned how pharmaceutical companies are "getting away with murder." Yet, many Americans aren't seeing a change in what they pay out-of-pocket.

27 Apr 2018

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ What next for the VA?

The Trump administration has withdrawn the nomination of White House physician Ronny Jackson to head the Department of Veterans Affairs after allegations surfaced about inappropriate handling of prescription drugs, issues with alcohol and difficulties working with other White House medical unit staffers.

26 Apr 2018

Hearing aids may hold potential to cut older adults’ hospital or ER visits

Hearing aids cost thousands of dollars, and insurance almost never covers them. But they may hold the potential to cut older adults' visits to the hospital or emergency room, according to a new study.

26 Apr 2018

Study: VA hospitals provide better quality care than other health providers

The VA health care system performs similar to or better than non-VA systems on most measures of inpatient and outpatient care quality, although there is high variation in quality across individual VA facilities, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

26 Apr 2018

Surgeries performed by older surgeons have lower patient mortality rates, study reveals

Researchers from UCLA and several other institutions found surgeries performed by older surgeons - age 50 and up - have lower patient mortality rates than those performed by younger surgeons, and that patient mortality rates do not differ significantly based on whether the surgeon is male or female.

26 Apr 2018

Hospitals lure diabetes patients with self-care courses, but costs can weigh heavily

When a routine physical revealed mildly elevated blood-sugar levels, Michael Phillips was strongly encouraged to sign up for a diabetes self-management class.

26 Apr 2018

Five best practices to help reduce unplanned acute care for cancer patients

Unnecessary emergency department visits and hospitalizations are debilitating for patients with cancer and far too common - and costly - for the United States health care system.

24 Apr 2018

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ Nothing in health care ever goes away

Congressional Republicans have struck a decidedly different tone when talking about the Affordable Care Act, and the Democrats have introduced a new Medicare expansion bill.

20 Apr 2018

Opioid pain medications may not be safe for hemodialysis patients

A new analysis indicates that opioid pain medications may not be as safe for hemodialysis patients as recommendations suggest, and therefore, their use should be limited when possible. The analysis appears in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

20 Apr 2018

Teva and Procter & Gamble Company terminate PGT Healthcare partnership

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has announced that Teva and the Procter & Gamble Company have agreed to terminate the PGT Healthcare partnership that the two companies established in 2011 to market OTC (Over The Counter) medicines.

19 Apr 2018

Experts propose new solutions to increase benefit, affordability of targeted cancer medicines

Spending on cancer drugs in the United States has nearly doubled in the past five years and continues to grow, imposing substantial financial burden on patients with cancer.

18 Apr 2018

Drug test spurs frank talk between hypertension patients and doctors

There’s an irony at the heart of the treatment of high blood pressure. The malady itself often has no symptoms, yet the medicines to treat it — and to prevent a stroke or heart attack later — can make people feel crummy.

18 Apr 2018

Older adults in high-quality nursing homes have lower risks for placement in long-term care facilities

After being discharged from the hospital, an older person often is admitted directly to a skilled nursing facility (SNF). SNFs specialize in the skilled care we need to recover properly.

18 Apr 2018

Study reports decreasing rates of liver transplantation among HCC patients in the U.S.

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) waiting for a liver transplant in the USA are now significantly less likely to receive a new liver than they were around a decade ago. A nationwide study presented today at The International Liver Congress™ 2018 in Paris, France, has confirmed that patients with HCC on the liver transplant list in the USA were more than 50% less likely to receive a transplant in 2014-2016 than they were in 2005-2007.

13 Apr 2018

Sex and racial gaps for cardiac rehabilitation referral could be reduced

Substantial sex and racial gaps exist for cardiac rehabilitation referral at hospital discharge, especially among females, African-Americans, Hispanic and Asian patients leading to less favorable outcomes and/or survival rates.

10 Apr 2018

Study finds link between industry payments and prescription practices for two cancer types

Physicians who received payment from pharmaceutical companies for meals, talks and travel were more likely to prescribe those companies' drugs for two cancer types, a University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center-led study has found.

9 Apr 2018

Medicare News and Research

How a drug company under pressure for high prices ratchets up political activity

BIO issues statement regarding Opioid Addiction Action Plan Act

Best reads of the week from Brianna Labuskes

New results reinforce COPAXONE 40 mg/mL as safe and effective for RMS patients

Dissecting the rhetoric vs. reality of Trump’s tough talk on drug prices

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ What next for the VA?

Hearing aids may hold potential to cut older adults’ hospital or ER visits

Study: VA hospitals provide better quality care than other health providers

Surgeries performed by older surgeons have lower patient mortality rates, study reveals

Hospitals lure diabetes patients with self-care courses, but costs can weigh heavily

Five best practices to help reduce unplanned acute care for cancer patients

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ Nothing in health care ever goes away

Opioid pain medications may not be safe for hemodialysis patients

Teva and Procter & Gamble Company terminate PGT Healthcare partnership

Experts propose new solutions to increase benefit, affordability of targeted cancer medicines

Drug test spurs frank talk between hypertension patients and doctors

Older adults in high-quality nursing homes have lower risks for placement in long-term care facilities

Study reports decreasing rates of liver transplantation among HCC patients in the U.S.

Sex and racial gaps for cardiac rehabilitation referral could be reduced

Study finds link between industry payments and prescription practices for two cancer types

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