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What We're Reading: Canadian Drug Bill Introduced; FDA to Discuss Vaginal Mesh; Health Effects of Traffic
A bill co-sponsored by Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, would allow people to buy prescription drugs from approved pharmacies in Canada; the FDA is planning an advisory meeting on February 12 to share evidence and expert opinion about the safety and effectiveness of transvaginal mesh; economist Austin Frakt recaps the public health effects of sitting in traffic, including contributing to climate change, lost time, and damage to psychological well-being.
Grassley, Klobuchar Sponsor Bill Allowing Drug Imports From Canada
FDA Committee Will Examine Safety of Transvaginal Mesh Implants
What Are the Health Effects From Sitting in Traffic? Many, Economist Frakt Says
A bill co-sponsored by Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, would allow people to buy prescription drugs from approved pharmacies in Canada. The bill is reigniting a long-simmering debate about drug importation, a proposal strongly opposed by the powerful pharmaceutical lobby, as well as giving Republicans an early test on their commitment to lowering drug prices, The Hill reported.The FDA is planning an advisory meeting on February 12 to share evidence and expert opinion about the safety and effectiveness of transvaginal mesh, according to The Washington Post, which reported on the health problems and resulting lawsuits brought by women who have had surgery for urinary incontinence and prolapse. About 3 million to 4 million women worldwide have had mesh implanted, and about 5% have had complications, which are difficult or impossible to fix, according to some doctors.A column in The New York Times by economist Austin Frakt recaps the public health effects of sitting in traffic, including contributing to climate change, lost time, and damage to psychological well-being. The total cost of traffic exceeds $100 billion per year, he wrote.
Urticaria Diagnosis Challenged by Overlapping Pruritic Skin Conditions
April 23rd 2025Urticaria is complicated to diagnose by its symptomatic overlap with other skin conditions and the frequent misclassification in literature of distinct pathologies like vasculitic urticaria and bullous pemphigus.
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New Research Challenges Assumptions About Hospital-Physician Integration, Medicare Patient Mix
April 22nd 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Brady Post, PhD, lead author of a study published in the April 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care®, challenges the claim that hospital-employed physicians serve a more complex patient mix.
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Personalized Care Key as Tirzepatide Use Expands Rapidly
April 15th 2025Using commercial insurance claims data and the US launch of tirzepatide as their dividing point, John Ostrominski, MD, Harvard Medical School, and his team studied trends in the use of both glucose-lowering and weight-lowering medications, comparing outcomes between adults with and without type 2 diabetes.
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ACOs’ Focus on Rooting Out Fraud Aligns With CMS Vision Under Oz
April 23rd 2025Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are increasingly playing the role of data sleuths as they identify and report trends of anomalous billing in hopes of salvaging their shared savings. This mission dovetails with that of CMS, which under the new administration plans to prioritize rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse.
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