AJMC Staff

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.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed a "heartbeat" abortion bill into law as legal battles over abortion continue across the nation; a new CDC study found that most pregnancy-related deaths could be prevented; lawyers of former NFL players are fighting a rule that limited retired players to attending physicians within 150 miles of their homes for dementia diagnoses.

Federal prosecutors have reached a $17 million settlement with Acadia after Medicaid fraud allegations; rates of heart failure–related deaths are on the rise among adults between 35 and 64 years old; the FDA has asked manufacturers of sunscreen to review the safety of the chemicals used in their products after a new study found that many of the ingredients in sunscreen may be absorbed into the bloodstream upon use.

The FDA has shut down a program that concealed medical device records for over 2 decades; more than 1000 Ebola-related deaths in 2 trading cities have been reported; Germany considers fining parents of school-age children who are not vaccinated for measles.

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Insys Therapeutics’ founder and 4 executives have been found guilty for participating in a scheme that bribed doctors to prescribe its addictive painkiller and misled insurers to pay for the drug; the FDA has approved the first vaccine against dengue fever with some restrictions; Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, has released a $100 billion to combat addiction and improve mental health care.

The Trump administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) is urging federal courts to strike down the entire Affordable Care Act; a Florida hospital is suing Aetna over the insurer’s Readmission Payment Policy; diabetic amputations disproportionately affect black and Latino individuals.