March 2010
Anatomy of Healthcare Reform
- Thu, 3/18/10 - 3:25pm
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- 1602 reads
More to Agenda than Comprehensive Bills
Comprehensive legislation has been the centerpiece of the healthcare debate, but substantial portions of the reform agenda were enacted months before President Obama began calling for a final vote. Implementation of healthcare legislation packaged in smaller bills, such as the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA), or tied to larger measures like the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), has expanded the federal government’s role in funding health insurance as well as in medic
Rate Hike Battle Escalates
- Thu, 3/18/10 - 3:30pm
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- 855 reads
Insurers Blame Rising Costs for Premium Increases
With the health reform battle grinding on, premium increases in California and other states have been held up by legislators as the latest evidence that insurers need to be reigned in. In an attempt to build support for their reform efforts, lawmakers seized on an announcement by Anthem Blue Cross, a California subsidiary of WellPoint, that its individual market premiums would increase by as much as 39% as evidence that new price controls are necessary. Insurers have defended the rate increases, arguing that they reflect
Medical Management of Extreme Obesity Effective in the Primary Care Setting
- Thu, 3/18/10 - 3:40pm
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- 966 reads
Results from a randomized, controlled, clinical trial [Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(2):146-154] show that primary care practices can initiate effective medical management programs to treat extremely obese patients but maintaining weight loss remains difficult and needs further study.
Although therapeutic techniques that include diet, exercise, and drug and behavioral therapies are commonly used to treat obesity, few data exist on using these techniques to treat extreme obesity, and surgery is often considered the best treatment. However, surgery is often not available and other opti
Medical Homes May Be an Option to Reduce Costs and Improve Care
- Thu, 3/18/10 - 3:45pm
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- 1274 reads
Las Vegas—Utilizing patient-centered medical homes and increasing the use of health information technology may help the healthcare industry battle growing healthcare costs while providing high-quality care. The benefits of medical homes and the role pharmacists can play in the treatment system were recently discussed in a session at the ASHP meeting.
According to David W. Bates, MD, the current medical system is broken and has “untenably” high costs and high levels of harm. Dr. Bates, who is the chief of the division of general
Product Spotlight - Ampyra
- Thu, 3/18/10 - 3:56pm
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- 1700 reads
Ampyra (dalfampridine) is a potassium channel blocker taken orally as a treatment to improve walking in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Ampyra, previously referred to as Fampridine-SR, is provided in an extended-release tablet formulation of dalfampridine, which was previously called fampridine. The name was changed to dalfampridine to avoid confusion with other FDA-approved products.
The efficacy of dalfampridine for this indication was demonstrated by an increase in walking speed. The product was granted orphan drug status, providing
Study Reports Decline in Biomedical Research Funding, Links Research Support with Productivity
- Thu, 3/18/10 - 4:38pm
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- 503 reads
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has reported a decline in biomedical research funding from 2003 to 2008, after a decade of doubling in funding growth [2010;303(2):137-143]. The study’s authors included researchers affiliated with the Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, the University of Rochester, the University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, the University at Buffalo School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and Alerion Institute in Virginia.
This analysis built upon prev
Product Updates
- Thu, 3/18/10 - 4:42pm
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- 713 reads
New Drug for Gaucher Disease
The FDA has approved velaglucerase alfa for injection (VPRIV) to treat children and adults with a form of the rare genetic disorder Gaucher disease. VPRIV is manufactured by Shire Human Genetic Therapies Inc.
Gaucher disease occurs in people who do not produce enough of an enzyme called glucocerebrosidase. VPRIV provides long-term enzyme replacement therapy for Type 1 Gaucher disease, the most common form of the genetic disorder. It is an alternative to imiglucerase (Cerezyme), another enzyme replacement therapy. According to the
