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What We're Reading: Wasted Vaccine Doses at CVS, Walgreens; India Reports Record Daily COVID-19 Cases; Anxiety and J&J Vaccine
Walgreens, CVS responsible for a majority of wasted US COVID-19 vaccine doses; travel to India restricted by Biden administration amid record daily COVID-19 cases; CDC report links physical adverse events to J&J vaccine with anxiety.
CVS, Walgreens Wasted More Vaccine Doses Than Most States Combined
According to government data obtained and published by Kaiser Health News, Walgreens and CVS were found to be responsible for a majority of wasted COVID-19 vaccine doses in the United States. Of the 182,874 wasted doses recorded by the CDC as of late March, CVS was responsible for nearly half and Walgreens for 21%, amounting to approximately 128,500 wasted shots. The data suggests that the 2 national pharmacy chains wasted more doses than states, US territories, and federal agencies combined, with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine noted to represent 60% of tossed doses.
Travel to India Restricted as Daily COVID-19 Cases Reach Record Tolls
Amid marked surges in COVID-19 cases reported in India, including a new global record of more than 400,000 new cases this past Saturday, the Biden administration announced it is imposing new restrictions on travel to the country as members of Congress decide how to further assist their battle against the virus. Reported by Roll Call, the United States sent 2 military cargos of medical aid to India last week, although leaders of the House India Caucus wrote to President Joe Biden this past Friday requesting more assistance citing data showing that 1 individual dies from COVID-19 in the Delhi territory every 4 minutes.
Some Adverse Reactions to J&J Vaccine Related to Anxiety
According to a CDC report published last Friday, dozens of reported physical adverse reactions to the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine may be caused by anxiety. Reported by Becker’s Hospital Review, the CDC said that as the J&J vaccine is a 1-shot dose, it may be preferred to other vaccines among people who have needle aversion, which would make it more likely for these populations to have anxiety-related incidents after vaccination, such as sweating and fainting. In fact, fainting after the J&J dose has been indicated to be 164 times more likely than after the flu vaccine.
Varied Access: The Pharmacogenetic Testing Coverage Divide
February 18th 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the author of a study published in the February 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® to uncover significant differences in coverage decisions for pharmacogenetic tests across major US health insurers.
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For Neuromuscular Disease Community, an Era of Opportunities and Threats
March 17th 2025Robert Califf, MD, former commissioner of the FDA, delivered a keynote address at the 2025 Muscular Dystrophy Association Clinical & Scientific Conference that highlighted the enormous opportunities for progress in neuromuscular disease care amid a changing policy environment.
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The Impact of Cost Sharing on High-Value Care
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Oz Confirmation Hearing Probes Vision for Medicaid but Coalesces Around Well-Being
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