AJMC Staff

The American Medical Association has called for intensified oversight of the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) industry; the governor of Florida has signed a bill into law that would allow state residents to access cheaper medication through 2 prescription drug importation programs; the Ebola virus has crossed international borders during the second-worst outbreak in history.

Missouri's only abortion clinic will stay open after a state circuit court judge issued a preliminary injunction; the FDA overlooked red flags for esketamine after Janssen provided only limited data about the drug's safety and efficacy; opiod manufacturer Insys has filed for bankruptcy proctection after agreeing to pay $225 million to settle a federal investigation over its marketing of fentanyl.

Purdue Pharmaceuticals and the company’s owners have been sued by Idaho’s Attorney General for allegedly contributing to the opioid epidemic; the governor of Texas has signed a bill into law that will raise the state’s minimum age to purchase tobacco and tobacco-related products to 21; California law makers have agreed to a budget deal that will provide healthcare to young, low-income, undocumented immigrants.

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A group of 8 senators have written a letter to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) asking them what solutions they have for lowering drug prices; the number of measles cases in the United States has surpassed 1000; Kirsten Gillibrand has a plan to legalize marijuana and expunge all nonviolent criminal charges associated with it.

Granting the wishes of anti-abortion groups, the Trump administration announced it will end fetal tissue research by government scientists; Insys Therapeutics has agreed to pay $225 million to settle federal investigations into allegations that the manufacturer paid kickbacks and used other illegal tactics to sell a powerful fentanyl spray; Medicaid enrollees who would potentially be subject to Medicaid work requirements are likely to face barriers to employment.

The government seeks make it easier for cancer patients to use experimental drugs; a federal judge says the FDA can regulate stem cell companies; US senators reveal a list of 400 troubled nursing homes.

The Illinois Senate passed an abortion rights bill; a new study presented last weekend at ASCO 2019 found the Affordable Care Act (ACA) reduced racial disparites in cancer care; Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay an additional $300 million in NY talcum powder case.

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There have been 91 cases of measles in the last week and a half, bringing the number of cases so far this year to 971; a coalition of civil rights group is suing the Trump administration over the recently issued conscience protection rule; Oklahoma's opioid trial against Johnson & Johnson has started.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has included burnout in the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision (ICD-11); public health officials may refuse to renew the license of the last abortion provider in Missouri, which would make the state the only one in the country without access to a legal abortion provider; organizations have announced a research initiative to identify why immunotherapy causes diabetes in some patients with cancer.

Amarin announced that its supplemental new drug application for Vascepa has been accepted for filing and granted Priority Review designation by the FDA; civil rights groups ask a federal court to strike down an HHS "conscience" rule that may limit services covered by providers and payers that violate religious or moral beliefs; US Representive Seth Moulton, D-Massachusetts, unveils a new military mental health proposal.

A federal judge has blocked a Mississippi law that would ban abortions 6 weeks into pregnancy; Teva Pharmaceuticals settled with state of Oklahoma for $85 million 2 days before opioid trials were set to begin; the governor of Maine has signed a bill that will remove nonmedical exemptions for vaccinations.

Higher migraine-related costs were the top indicators of a patient having chronic migraine, according to a poster presented at ISPOR 2019.

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A bipartisan group of senators has revealed healthcare legislation that would address surprise medical bills and add transparency to the rebate system; starting in January, Colorado will cap insulin prices at $100 per month; the FDA has authorized marketing of the first diagnostic test for Zika virus.

Senator Kamala Harris, D-California, has reintroduced a bill to address racial disparities in maternal healthcare; a study found that egg consumption is not linked to a higher risk of stroke; cannabidiol has the potential to treat cravings for heroin and other opioids.

Vermont's Attorney General has sued the Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma, for allegedly directing a deceptive opioid marketing campain; drug manufacturer Eli Lilly has offered a half-priced, generic version of Humalog insulin; asthma rates for children fell in Los Angeles after air quality improved.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, introduced bipartisan legislation that would raise the age to purchase tobacco-related products to 21; the US measles outbreak has surged to 880 cases this year; the FDA will end its Alternative Summary Reporting program after an investigation found that the agency had filed information regarding malfunctions of the Sprint Fidelis heart device in an internal database.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the Alabama Capitol to protest the state's new abortion law; the House of Representatives passed the Equality Act to extend civil rights protections to gay and transgender people; suicide rates have been rising faster among young girls than among boys of the same age.

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US birth rates have declined for the fourth year in a row; Gilead's chief executive officer (CEO) is expected to testify before a House committee about Truvada pricing; nonprofit generic drug company Civica Rx has chosen the first 2 antibiotics that it will produce.

The Alabama Senate has approved a bill that would ban almost all abortions in the state, regardless of whether pregnancies were caused from rape or incest; Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro has sued Purdue Pharmaceuticals over the company's role in the opioid epidemic; the Justice Department has decided the FDA can't regulate death penalty drugs.

A California jury found that the weed killer, Roundup, caused a couple's cancer and awarded $2 billion in damages; a federal appeals court will decide if and how states could end federal Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood; Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signs a new law raising the age for nicotine-related product purchases from 18 to 21.

Several generic drug manufacturers are accused of price-fixing in a lawsuit; the state of Washington offers residents a universally available public option for health insurance; bills proposed by states to limit vaccine exemptions have stalled.

A recent study examined associations of comorbid migraine with other painful physical symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder at 2 years, and results suggested there might be benefit to integrating care for those with both depression and headache.

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White patients are significantly more likely to be prescribed buprenorphine compared with patients of other races/ethnicities; Trump has backed a Florida proposal to import drugs from Canada; nearly 25% of medications approved in 2018 cost more than $30,000 per year.

Tennessee is set to become the first state to transition its Medicaid program to a block grant; a federal judge has blocked cuts to Medicare rates for 340B hospitals but did not grant permanent injunction; Senator Elizabeth Warren has unviled a plan to combat the opioid epidemic that would spend $100 billion over 10 years.