What We’re Reading: Weight Loss Drug Coverage; COVID Vaccine Potential AEs; Shifting Medicaid Policy
February 20th 2024Insurers grapple with expanding overage for weight loss medications; a new analysis reveals a potential correlation between COVID-19 vaccinations and various adverse effects (AEs); reshaping Medicaid programs remains an ongoing debate about ensuring health care access.
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Access to Cancer Care Alleviates Racial Disparities in CLL/SLL
February 19th 2024No difference in overall survival was observed between patients of different races who had chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) and received cancer care or had access to a hematologist/oncologist.
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Carrie Kozlowski on Access, AI, and the Future of Health Care Data Utilization
February 19th 2024Carrie Kozlowski, OT, MBA highlights 3 key trends shaping the future of health care: a focus on health equity with actionable strategies for equitable access to care, a transition toward responsible AI utilization, and a push to maximize the potential of patient data while addressing privacy concerns.
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FDA Accepts BLA for Datopotamab Deruxtecan for Nonsquamous NSCLC
February 19th 2024The application is based on results of the phase 3 TROPION-Lung01 trial of datopotamab deruxtecan in nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), first presented at the 2023 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress.
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Dr Jun Gong: Improved Access Closes the Gaps Between Black, White Men With Prostate Cancer
February 18th 2024Despite socioeconomic and biological differences that contribute to disparities between Black men and White men with prostate cancer, improved access has been shown to reduce the gaps, explained Jun Gong, MD, of Cedars Sinai.
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Experimental RNA Therapy Significantly Reduces Blood Pressure up to 6 Months, Study Says
February 18th 2024Researchers said these findings confirm that zilebesiran can significantly reduce serum angiotensinogen levels, leading to sustained reductions in blood pressure over a 24-hour period, even 6 months post-treatment, though more research is needed for longer-term use.
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Hospitalized Children With Diabetes May Be Able to Continue Safe Use of Home Pumps, Suggest Findings
February 17th 2024Using home insulin pumps when hospitalized was relatively safe compared with hospital-managed pumps and insulin injections among more than 2700 children admitted to a single hospital center.
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Combination Therapies Provide Optimal Hypertensive Control in Patients Taking Ibrutinib
February 17th 2024The retrospective study found patients on Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitors are similar to the general population in the sense that it usually takes at least 2 anti-hypertensive drugs to control blood pressure.
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Health Equity and Access Weekly Roundup: February 17, 2024
February 17th 2024This week in health equity and access includes challenges for independent physicians due to Medicare cuts, inequities in access to State Health Insurance Assistance Program counseling, a study on patient experiences in national health plans, strategies for building trust in cancer care, and increasing breast cancer rates in young Black women.
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FDA Grants Accelerated Approval to Lifileucel, First Cellular Therapy for Advanced Melanoma
February 16th 2024Lifileucel was granted approval for the treatment of adults with unresectable or metastatic melanoma that has been previously treated with other therapies, marking the first approval of a tumor-derived cellular therapy in a solid tumor cancer.
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Swedish Study Links False-Positive Mammograms to Elevated Breast Cancer Risk
February 16th 2024Swedish women with prior false-positive mammograms, particularly those aged 60 to 75 with prior biopsies and low density, show elevated breast cancer risk, necessitating closer monitoring and better screening.
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Carrie Kozlowski: Enhancing Patient Access Amidst Rising Medicaid Disenrollment
February 15th 2024Carrie Kozlowski, OT, MBA, chief operating officer and cofounder of Upfront Healthcare, explains how the company emphasizes personalized engagement to overcome technological, cultural, and social barriers while Medicaid disenrollment rates are increasing.
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Daratumumab-Based Regimen Potential Promising Bridging Therapy for RRMM
February 15th 2024The combination of daratumumab and immumodulatory therapy was evaluated among patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) who have failed prior treatment with immunomodulatory agents, proteasome inhibitors, and daratumumab as monotherapy or in combination.
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Vyvgart Phase 3 Extension Study Data Affirm Long-Term Safety, Efficacy in gMG
February 15th 2024Details from the final interim data analysis of the ADAPT+ study confirm previous findings seen with efgartigimod (Vyvgart) in generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), the rare neuromuscular autoimmune disease.
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