Laura Joszt, MA, is the vice president of content for the managed care and pharmacy brands at MJH Life Sciences®, which includes The American Journal of Managed Care®, Managed Healthcare Executive®, Pharmacy Times®, and Drug Topics®. She has been with MJH Life Sciences since 2011.
Laura has an MA in business and economic reporting from New York University. You can connect with Laura on LinkedIn or Twitter.
SMA Impacts Health-Related Quality of Life for Both Patients and Caregivers
August 28th 2020In addition to high health care and societal costs, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is associated with a deterioration in the health-related quality of life of both patients and their caregivers in 3 European countries.
More CV Risk Factors Associated With Greater Disease Burden in Psoriatic Arthritis
August 28th 2020Cardiometabolic comorbidities are a considerable burden in patients with psoriatic arthritis, and patients who had a higher number of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors had greater disease activity, according to a study in Medicina.
After FDA Approval, EMA Accepts Marketing Authorization Application for First Oral SMA Therapy
August 24th 2020The FDA approved the drug on August 7, and on August 17, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) accepted the marketing authorization application for the spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) treatment.
Fatigue Is Prevalent and Corresponds to Disease Severity in Asian Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis
August 12th 2020Most studies have evaluated PsA-associated fatigue in western populations. A new study has highlighted that PsA-associated fatigue is also prevalent in an Asian population and correlates with disease activity, impact, and chronicity.
Specialty Drug Spending After State-Mandated Out-of-Pocket Caps
August 6th 2020Despite concerns, legislation to cap out-of-pocket payments for specialty drugs has not been shown to shift costs to health plans, thereby increasing insurance premiums, according to a study published in New England Journal of Medicine.
Need for Improved CVD Prevention in Patients With RA
August 1st 2020Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), because inflammation plays a pivotal role in the development of CVD. However, there is a need for greater improvement of CVD risk prevention.
ACR Issues Advice on Reopening Clinics During the COVID-19 Pandemic
July 30th 2020During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, clinics have closed to varying degrees. As clinics look to reopen or welcome back patients after a COVID-19 infection, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has released advice on strategies for reopening practices as the pandemic continues.
The Race to Find a COVID-19 Vaccine
July 28th 2020The race for a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine is one of the most urgent public health challenges, with multiple vaccine candidates entering phase 3 trials and case counts around the world steadily climbing. MJH Life Sciences™ will host a free webinar with the top minds in infectious disease, virology, and vaccinology to discuss the latest trial information on vaccines.
Tocilizumab Caused Serious AEs in a Quarter of Children With Rheumatic Inflammatory Diseases
July 25th 2020In children with inflammatory rheumatic diseases, tocilizumab can cause serious adverse events (AEs), with children who were younger at disease onset and at time of tocilizumab initiation especially affected.
Secukinumab Dose Escalation, Retention Rate, and Safety in Real-World Settings
July 23rd 2020In 2 studies of secukinumab use in real-world settings, researchers identified the usefulness of dose escalation in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), as well as the safety, retention rate, and factors associated with drug survival among patients with PsA and ankylosing spondyloarthritis.
Therapy Provides Readily Available Stem Cell Source to Treat Rare Genetic Diseases
July 22nd 2020Umbilical cord blood provides a readily available source of stem cells to provide better access to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation to safely and effectively treat various noncancerous genetic disorders in children.
Experimental Vaccines Show Promise Against COVID-19 in Healthy Subjects
July 21st 2020Two experimental vaccines, one from AstraZeneca and the other from CanSino Biologics, have shown promising results against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a phase 1/2 trial and a phase 2 trial. Results for both were published in The Lancet.
Indirect Nonhealth Care Costs Drive Total Costs in Psoriatic Arthritis and Psoriasis
July 18th 2020Psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis have high economic burdens and the total annual costs were similar between the 2 diseases, but the combination of both yielded the highest costs, according to an abstract published at the European League Against Rheumatism annual meeting.