Laura Joszt, MA

Serum neurofilament light chain is associated with brain atrophy and disability worsening, which means it can be used as an objective surrogate of ongoing disease activity in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to research published in JAMA Neurology.

While freestanding emergency departments (EDs) can reduce wait times and reduce the burden on overcrowded EDs, they increase utilization of emergency care and local market spending.

Pairing a cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor with fulvestrant significantly improved overall survival (OS) for women with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2)-negative advanced breast cancer, according to 2 abstracts presented at the European Society of Medical Oncology 2019 Congress.

Data from EXPLORE, a prospective, multinational, natural history study, is used to characterize disease activity and clinical management of patients with acute hepatic porphyria (AHP) who experience recurrent attacks. The findings highlight the high unmet need for effective treatments.

The change to the public charge rule has had a negative impact on immigrant patients, who are disenrolling or declining to enroll in Medicaid and are delaying or avoiding care, according to a survey of community health centers.

While measurement of minimal residual disease (MRD) at the end of induction is an important prognostic factor in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), there is a gap in education among community oncology providers, according to an abstract presented at the Society of Hematologic Oncology 2019 Annual Meeting.

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a higher risk in general of infections, but the risk varies depending on their treatment, according to a new study in JAMA Neurology.

Rare diseases may affect a small number of people, but they have fiscal impacts beyond just healthcare costs. A new study in Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases used a public economic framework to identify how hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis has a public economic burden beyond just health costs in the Netherlands.

Two abstracts presented at ECTRIMS 2019, the 35th Annual Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, looked at patterns among patients newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) may be considered the gold standard for generating clinical evidence, but there is growing interest in using real-world evidence. However, only a small portion of clinical trials could be replicated in the real world, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open.

Although minimal residual disease (MRD) is increasingly being used to predict treatment outcomes and as a surrogate marker of progression-free survival, there remains controversy over whether it is ready to be used in treatment decision making.

While current guidelines recommend that only women with breast cancer who have a family history or who meet clinical criteria undergo genetic testing, a new cost-effectiveness analysis suggests that genetic testing should be expanded to all women with breast cancer.

President Donald Trump has issued an executive order that will protect Medicare and bolster Medicare Advantage (MA) in response to Democrats' Medicare for All proposals.

Ozanimod, under development to treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), has greater efficacy on the annualized relapse rate (ARR) than most other first-line disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), according to 2 abstracts presented at ECTRIMS 2019, the 35th Annual Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis.

During the second plenary at the National Association of ACOs fall meeting, Meridith Seife, deputy regional inspector general, Office of Evaluation and Inspections in the HHS Office of the Inspector General, presented results from a government report identifying strategies of high-performing accountable care organizations that had improved care quality while cutting costs.

In the next 5 to 10 years, providers and health systems need to be thinking about how all the pieces of a new system that delivers holistic, value-based care fit together, said Will Shrank, MD, chief medical officer, Humana, during the opening plenary at the National Association of ACOs fall meeting.

Patients with psoriasis who were treated with biologics were less likely to develop psychiatric illnesses compared with patients not treated with biologics; however, the researchers did note treatment selection may have influenced the findings.

As minimal residual disease (MRD) and other measures to detect cancer burden are increasingly used to predict outcomes and direct future treatment decisions, Amgen has chosen to partner with Adaptive Biotechnologies to use the clonoSEQ product to assess MRD across multiple drug development programs.

As 2020 Medicare Advantage (MA) premiums will decline 14.0% from 2019, beneficiaries will have access to greater benefits, which has contributed to enrollment continuing to grow year over year, according to CMS.

Measurement of drug levels early in treatment with ustekinumab for patients with psoriasis may be able to successfully predict patient response and, therefore, direct a treatment strategy.

Patients with polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia may be able to reduce their symptoms through a low-cost drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a new study in British Journal of Haematology.

Oncologists may be able to use circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) to guide treatment decisions and predict which patients will have disease recurrence, according to 2 studies in JAMA Oncology.

Despite growing interest in addressing social determinants of health and recent research into interventions that address food insecurity, there are only a small number of low-quality studies in the area.

Healthcare does not necessarily need to be disrupted, but it does need to evolve and utilize technology so that cancer care can move beyond the conventional walls of the healthcare delivery system, said Susan Dentzer, visiting fellow at the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, during her keynote speech at the Quality Cancer Care Alliance’s Leadership Summit.

As orphan drugs account for an increasing share of drugs approved, they are driving up the cost of drug launches and drug prices. In a new paper, America's Health Insurance Plans analyzes these rising costs and the use of orphan drugs and asserts that policy makers need to revisit the Orphan Drug Act.

All patients with metastatic breast cancer should undergo genetic testing based on the prevalence of P/LP variants in patients with metastatic breast cancer, which can have therapeutic implications.

In 2 studies published in The Lancet Neurology, ozanimod was well tolerated and had a lower relapse rate in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis.

Using vorinostat with pembrolizumab can help improve the efficacy of the immunotherapy in non–small cell lung cancer.

An Expanded Treatment Protocol study that provided expanded access of the FDA-approved ruxolitinib, which treats polycythemia vera (PV) in patients who are intolerant or resistant to hydoxyurea, affirmed the safety and efficacy findings of the trials used for approval.

Patients with complex needs may need more complex solutions to manage their health issues. Innovations in technology and integration of data have made it possible to improve patient interactions with the pharmacy to better manage their diseases. The American Journal of Managed Care® recently spoke with Christine Sawicki, senior director, specialty product development and innovation, CVS Health, about the impact new technology can have on patient experience, health outcomes, and drug spending.