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What We're Reading: Heartburn Medication Recall; Juul Labs CEO Steps Down; Amazon Launches Virtual Health Clinic
The Sandoz unit of Novartis has expanded its recall of its heartburn medications containing ranitidine; Juul Labs announced that their chief executive offer is stepping down and that the company would not lobby the Trump administration on its impending ban of flavored vaping products; Amazon has launched a virtual medical clinic for its employees in Seattle.
Novartis Expands Recall of Heartburn Medication
A week after recalling its heartburn medications in European countries and Canada in response to regulators disclosing the capsules may contain high levels of a carcinogen, the Sandoz unit of Novartis has expanded its recall of the medications containing ranitidine and is pulling the products from the United States. A spokesman for Novartis told STAT News that testing found N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) levels above those established by the FDA in batches of its capsules. The spokesman added that the drug maker has yet to receive any reports of adverse events related to the medicine. NDMA was also detected in a class of blood pressure pills last year.
Juul Labs CEO Steps Down, Company Says it Will Comply With Administration's Ban on Flavored Vapes
As Juul Labs announced that their chief executive offer (CEO) would step down, the company also announced that the company would not lobby the Trump administration on its impending ban of flavored vaping products. Even further, the company said it will suspend all broadcast, print, and digital advertising in the United States, reported Politico. Longtime Altria executive K.C. Crosthwaite will step in as CEO. Crosthwaite joined Altria when it was still Philip Morris in the 1990s and until recently, had headed its growth division.
Amazon Launches Virtual Medical Clinic for Employees
Amazon has launched Amazon Care, a virtual health clinical for in-home follow-ups for its employees in Seattle. The clinic offers both telemedicine and in-person services, with virtual offerings included an “in-app video with a doctor, nurse practitioner, or registered nurse…for advice, answers, diagnosis, treatment or referrals.” According to CNBC, employees will have an option to see a provider via mobile app or website and they can text a nurse on any health optic. If an employee needs follow-up care, the clinic can arrange for an at-home visit with a nurse.
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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