AJMC Staff

Progressive House Democrats press for a more aggressive remedy than arbitration to reduce drug prices; FDA permits the sale of a new cigarette alternative; use of methamphetamine surges in some parts of the United States.

The move comes a month after FDA issued a Complete Response Letter on the drug, despite pleas from patient advocates to approve a new treatment option in type 1 diabetes.

A federal judge has recused himself from a UnitedHealthcare proton therapy lawsuit; researchers are trying to develop a lifetime flu vaccine; researchers create an inexpensive 3D printed microscope for medical diagnostics in developing countries.

Nearly 700 people at California State University and the University of California, both in Los Angeles, were still in quarantine over the weekend after possibly being exposed to measles; the world’s largest seller of cancer drugs, pharma company Roche Holding AG, will lose its top spot with competition from lower-cost drugs, namely biosimilars; findings from a new study showed that blood pressure regulation at or below 130/80 mm Hg lowered the risk of heart attack, stroke, or other complications in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Sarcoidosis has rarely been reported with polycythemia vera (PV), an acquired myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by mutant Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) signaling leading to erythrocyte overproduction. In a recent article in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, physicians report on the case of a female patient with PV and sarcoidosis.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is scheduled to release a report on single-payer healthcare next week; a federal judge in Washington state blocked a Trump administration rule that was set to take effect May 3 and would have stripped Title X funding from providers who refer patients for abortions; the University of Southern California (USC) is losing national accreditation for a joint-run fellowship in cardiovascular disease, run with Los Angeles County, after being dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct.

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The World Health Organization recommends little to no screen time for children under age 5; senators urge HHS to ensure that government patents on the HIV prevention drug Truvada are properly licensed; New York City health officials have confirmed 31 new cases of measles in less than a week.

A US District Judge will issue an injunction for family planning physician gag rule, a major pharmaceutical distributor faces criminal charges for its role in the opioid epidemic, and a record number of homeless individuals have been dying in California.

Google and its sister companies are making substantial investments towards artificial intelligence in healthcare; the Trump administration seeks to remove protections for transgender individuals that allow equal access to healthcare; researchers identified 104 high-risk schizophrenia genes.

Tests are scheduled to commence April 23rd for a malaria vaccine; the FDA has approved the first generic nasal spray for opioid overdose reversal; scientists have discovered a new broad-spectrum, arsenic-based antibiotic.

Washington is set to become the first state to offer long-term care benefits for those who pay into the program; a genome-wide polygenic score can predict the odds of obesity; and Montana is moving to reauthorize Medicaid expansion with the addition of community engagement requirements.

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Dozens of doctors and other medical professionals have been charged with exchanging opioids and other drugs for sex and cash; the first 2 patients in the United States have been treated with CRISPR; doctors have cured infants of immunodeficiency syndrome using gene therapy made from HIV.

A first-of-its-kind law in Tennessee will limit the language lawyers can use in ads seeking to sue drug makers; consumers spend significantly more on healthcare in the week after they get their tax return; New Hampshire has seen 79 new cases of hepatitis A since November.

The investment fund spun off from the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation will start at $50 million and will be self-sustaining, focusing on early-stage biotech companies.

The FDA creates an advisory list for dietary supplements; researchers in Israel bio-printed a small-scale heart with human tissue and blood vessels; patient advocates lobby to lift a ban on a controversial fertility treatment.

The CDC says a serious, recent Escherichia coli outbreak has been linked to consumption of ground beef; while President Trump announced a task force to address high rates of veteran suicides, 3 veterans killed themselves last week on Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare properties; a CDC report reveals Kratom-related overdose deaths are higher than previously thought.

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Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection rates are increasing among women under age 40 who haven't received the HPV vaccination; Ride Aid will stop the sale of e-cigarettes over the next 90 days; the Ohio governor signed a ban on abortion after a detectable heartbeat with no exceptions for pregancies resulting from rape or incest.

The findings represent the first in a new wave of renal outcomes trials in the sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor class, a game-changing group of type 2 diabetes drugs with many benefits beyond lowering blood glucose.

Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, has reintroduced a Medicare for All bill while other Democrats eye an alternative; the Trump administration is appealing a federal judge's decision to toss out Medicaid work requirements in Kentucky and Arkansas; AIDS activists are pushing CDC to force Gilead to give the agency royalties for Truvada.

The American College of Physicians has updated their breast cancer screening guidelines to recommend that women of average risk of breast cancer get a mammogram at age 50 and every other year; the FDA advised clinicians against aburptly halting opioid prescribing for patients with chronic pain; New York’s mayor declared a public health emergency over the state’s measles outbreak.

New light has been shed on incidents of violence against hospital workers; nutrients from food, as opposed to those from dietary supplements, have been associated with lower cancer death rates; a new smoking intervention doubled smoking cessation rates among individuals with mental health conditions.

The Trump administration is planning an Affordable Care Act replacement plan; a drug-resistant fungus has been spreading and causing severe issues for hospitals; protesters gather in Washington, DC, to criticize the FDA's handling of the opioid crisis.

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After leaving the FDA, Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, will return to conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute; the Trump administration is urging Alaska to become the first state to change its Medicaid program funding to a block grant; CVS is expanding its same-day prescription delivery service to 36 states and Washington, DC.

The FDA is warning of a potential seizure risk associated with e-cigarettes, especially among asolescents and young adults; Sorrento Therapeutics is suing its business partner, alleging he purchased and then tried to prevent the release of their cancer drug; states are suing the Trump administration over plans to loosen school lunch nutrition standards.

Medicare Advantage (MA) plans will see a 2.53% increase in payments in 2020; the FDA is developing a framework for regulatory oversight of artificial intelligence (AI); a federal court is allowing Wisconsin to withdraw 2 lawsuits from the state challenging the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The American Medical Association and the AARP issue briefs in defense of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), while President Trump is delaying an ACA alternative until after the 2020; top hospitals offer unproven stem cell treatments; the measles outbreak hits a new high.