The FDA proposed new warnings on breast implants, requiring manufacturers to detail complications; Arizona suspends implementation of Medicaid work requirements; Amgen will lower the list price of evolocumab by 60%.
Yesterday, the FDA proposed that manufacturers detail possible complications from breast implants, including rare cancers, related symptoms, and the need for additional surgeries, according to The Washington Post. The move comes amid pressure from women who have reported harm from their breast implants. Among the recommendations, a boxed warning from manufacturers, said the FDA, is of the utmost priority. These warnings will clearly spell out implants' risks, as well as the facts that they are not lifetime devices and their risks increase over time. Cancers, such as a rare form of lymphoma, were linked to breast implants, and there have also been reports of fatigue, muscle aches, and joint pain.Arizona has chosen to suspend plans to require approximately 120,000 people to work, volunteer, or go to school to receive Medicaid benefits, according to the Arizona Capital Times. Arizona’s Medicaid program, the Arizona Healthcare Cost Containment System, provided a notice on its website stating, “implementation is being temporarily delayed, as court cases in other states play out, to avoid disruptions and protect Arizona’s most vulnerable members.” The decision provides another setback to efforts by the Trump administration to place work requirements on those seeking Medicaid benefits.Amgen announced today that it will make evolocumab, sold as Repatha, available in the United States at a 60% reduced list price, effective December 31, 2019. Evolocumab, a biologic medicine for people with high cholesterol who are at risk for heart attacks and strokes, will carry a list price of $5850 per year, allowing greater affordability by reducing patient copays, especially for Medicare beneficiaries. Amgen noted that the decision reflects its active participation in the American Heart Association’s Value in Healthcare Initiative, as well as its support of the Trump administration’s goal to lower the price of drugs for US consumers.
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.
Read More
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.
Listen
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.
Listen
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.
Read More