Wed.Jun 12, 2024

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Opinion: The J&J lawsuit should be a wakeup call to the PBM industry — and to companies everywhere

STAT

The ongoing legal dispute involving Johnson & Johnson has again thrust the topic of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) into the spotlight. Ann Lewandowski, a J&J employee, sued the company for overpaying for its employees’ prescription drugs through its PBM, Express Scripts, claiming that these overpayments resulted in higher health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket drug costs for employees.

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Behind the powerful computations, AI’s role in pharma is still beset by challenges

PharmaVoice

Small biotechs are saving time and money leveraging AI to develop new drugs, but incomplete data and disease complexity remain hurdles for the space.

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Michigan stands out for its aggressive bird flu response. Will other states follow its lead?

STAT

For weeks now, as the H5N1 bird flu has been spreading into dairy cattle herds in more and more places, one state continues to lead the pack. With reports of infections in 25 herds, Michigan currently accounts for about one-third of the country’s confirmed cases in livestock. And of the three people known to have contracted the H5N1 virus from sick cows since the outbreak began, two of them are farmworkers in Michigan, including one who experienced respiratory symptoms.

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New study reveals how brain cell communication is linked to Alzheimer’s disease

Pharma Times

Two support cells, microglia and astrocytes, were found to communicate with each other

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Navigating Payroll Compliance: Future-Proofing Payroll in an Evolving Regulatory Landscape

Speaker: Jennifer Hill

Payroll compliance is a cornerstone of business success, yet for small and midsize businesses, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of federal, state, and local regulations. Mistakes can lead to costly penalties and operational disruptions, making it essential to adopt advanced solutions that ensure accuracy and efficiency.

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World Trade Center responders exposed to more dust saw higher risk of early dementia

STAT

Nearly a quarter of a century after the 9/11 attacks in New York City, first responders continue to face steep health consequences for their exposure to particulate matter in the aftermath of the World Trade Center’s collapse. More than 10,000 people who were in the area have been diagnosed with cancer , with an incidence 30% higher than in the general population, and more first responders have died from long-term health issues associated with the collapse than during the attack.

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Opinion: Getting farmworkers to use PPE is hard, but it’s the best way to stop an H5N1 bird flu epidemic

STAT

Although a third U.S. dairy worker has been confirmed to be infected with the H5N1 bird flu, many dairy farms are still unwilling to use even freely offered personal protective equipment (PPE). This is cause for alarm. Working with a pathogen assigned a biosafety level of 3 — meaning it “can cause serious or potentially lethal disease through respiratory transmission” — with at best BSL 2 level protections is playing with fire.

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Pharmacy closures nearly five times higher in more deprived areas

The Pharmacist

EXCLUSIVE The most deprived areas in England have lost nearly five times as many community pharmacy premises as the least deprived areas in the last five years, new analysis from The Pharmacist has found. The 10% most deprived areas saw a net loss of around 250 local pharmacies between March 2019 and April 2024, while […] The post Pharmacy closures nearly five times higher in more deprived areas appeared first on The Pharmacist.

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STAT+: Pfizer’s gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy fails in phase 3 trial

STAT

Pfizer said Wednesday afternoon that a closely watched gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy failed to slow the disease’s progression in a phase 3 trial. This is now the second large, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of a Duchenne gene therapy to fail to reach its primary endpoint, a composite scale of muscle function designed specifically for the rare disease.

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Despite adcomm rejection, Lykos CEO sees future for MDMA drug

PharmaVoice

Although the rebuff makes approval “a bit more challenging,” Lykos is moving forward with the psychedelic-based treatment for PTSD.

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From Diagnosis to Delivery: How AI is Revolutionizing the Patient Experience

Speaker: Simran Kaur, Founder & CEO at Tattva Health Inc.

The healthcare landscape is being revolutionized by AI and cutting-edge digital technologies, reshaping how patients receive care and interact with providers. In this webinar led by Simran Kaur, we will explore how AI-driven solutions are enhancing patient communication, improving care quality, and empowering preventive and predictive medicine. You'll also learn how AI is streamlining healthcare processes, helping providers offer more efficient, personalized care and enabling faster, data-driven

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NIH wanted to make cancer research more diverse. The effort turned out to be a costly failure

STAT

Government researchers hoped to attract a more diverse group of patients for clinical research by paying for the travel expenses of cancer patients seeking to volunteer for trials. It didn’t work. Patients don’t pay for the care they receive as part of clinical trials run by the National Institutes of Health. But patients, and often their caregivers, incur other costs such as travel, food and lodging, child care, and absences from work.

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Pfizer gene therapy for Duchenne fails to meet goals of key trial

BioPharma Dive

The negative results from the Phase 3 study, called Ciffreo, come a little more than a month after Pfizer said a patient died in another trial of the gene therapy.

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Watch: How pharmacy benefit managers influence drug pricing

STAT

This is Part 2 of “Behind the Counter,” an in-depth video series demystifying the complex world of patents and drug pricing. The point of prescription drugs is to help people improve their quality of life. When a doctor writes a prescription and sends it along to the pharmacy, oftentimes they’re more focused on the drug’s effectiveness than its cost.

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NHSE chief: GP workforce can't be only solution for primary care

The Pharmacist

Primary care is the ‘bedrock of the NHS’, but a ‘modern vision’ is needed to meet new demands, delegates at the NHS Confederation Expo heard this week. The 2022 Fuller stocktake report, which gives a central role to community pharmacy, is one such vision that 'we can all get behind', NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard […] The post NHSE chief: GP workforce can't be only solution for primary care appeared first on The Pharmacist.

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Why Every Small Business Needs an HCM Solution: A Comprehensive Guide

Managing HR tasks like payroll, compliance, and employee data can overwhelm small businesses. That’s where a Human Capital Management (HCM) solution comes in. Our eBook, Why Every Small Business Needs an HCM Solution: A Comprehensive Guide , shows how an HCM system automates tedious processes, ensuring your business stays compliant and efficient. You’ll learn how to simplify payroll, eliminate costly errors, and empower your employees with self-service tools.

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Watch: The role of PBMs, patents, and public health in drug pricing

STAT

This is Part 1 of “Behind the Counter,” an in-depth video series demystifying the complex world of patents and drug pricing. Prescription drug costs are remarkably higher in the United States than in other countries, so it’s no surprise that more than half of U.S. adults say they are worried about being able to afford their medications.

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Avidity drug for muscular dystrophy shows promise; Syntis takes new approach to weight loss

BioPharma Dive

Study results indicated Avidity’s medicine muted target genes. Elsewhere, Syntis revealed obesity drug plans and Nodthera chalked up more positive data for its NLRP3 inhibitor.

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Senators slam the FDA’s new vape enforcement plan: ‘What in the hell have you been waiting for?’

STAT

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Justice claim they’re getting serious about clearing store shelves of illegal vapes. Lawmakers made clear Wednesday they aren’t buying it.

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OTC Hearing Aids: “Nothing to See Here” Says GAO Report

FDA Law Blog: Biosimilars

By Sara W. Koblitz & Jeffrey N. Gibbs — It’s been over a year and a half since Over-the-Counter (“OTC”) hearing aids became legal, and it’s not clear that they’ve made the difference in hearing loss treatment that Congress anticipated. (FDA once estimated that OTC hearing aids would save patients over $3000.) A recent GAO Report hasn’t found that OTC hearing aids have had much impact.

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Best Practices to Streamline Compensation Management: A Foundation for Growth

Speaker: Joe Sharpe and James Carlson

Payroll optimization can be one of the most time-consuming and complex factors of small business management. Yet, organizations that crack the code on streamlining employee compensation often discover innovative avenues for growth. With the right strategies in place, outsourcing and streamlining payroll processes can result in substantial time and resource savings.

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STAT+: New AI for biopsies can analyze microscopic images, talk to pathologists about your tumor

STAT

To non-pathologists, the histology slide looked, as all histology slides do, like a sea of mottled lilac and burgundy. Oblong pink spots, like sprinkles on a cookie at a Barbie-themed birthday party, spotted the left side of the image. To LLaVA 1.5, an open-source artificial intelligence mode, the cells looked like they were from the cheek. LLaVA-Med, a version of LLaVA trained on medical information, told researchers the cells were from breast tissue.

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Revealed: Map of community pharmacy closures over last five years

The Pharmacist

EXCLUSIVE: The Pharmacist mapped community pharmacy closures across England over the last five years, and uncovered a net loss of more than 1,000 bricks and mortar pharmacies since 2019. Read the first article in our series on how pharmaceutical services are changing in England: Of the 11,893 community pharmacies registered with the General Pharmaceutical […] The post Revealed: Map of community pharmacy closures over last five years appeared first on The Pharmacist.

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STAT+: Avidity Biosciences says its experimental drug showed potential against form of muscular dystrophy

STAT

Avidity Biosciences said Wednesday morning that an experimental medicine successfully knocked down the gene behind a form of muscular dystrophy being pursued by a fleet of drug companies. The early-stage study examined patients with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, or FSHD, who generally experience slowly progressive muscle loss in the face, shoulder blades, arms, or lower legs.

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DoH expands research partnership with Penn Medicine

Pharmaceutical Business Review

This partnership will focus on developing a translational medicine ecosystem and launching innovative research initiatives in Abu Dhabi. The second MoU outlines plans to design and develop a translational medicine ecosystem inspired by Penn’s Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT). The aim is to utilise Abu Dhabi’s advanced infrastructure alongside Penn Medicine’s expertise to foster new treatments and discoveries within the region.

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Enhance Healthcare Efficiency With Top Payroll & HCM Services

Running a healthcare facility requires precision and care, not just for patients but also for your staff. Our guide, "A Buyer’s Guide to Payroll & HCM Services," helps healthcare providers choose the best provider. Efficient payroll management ensures timely, accurate payments, critical for maintaining staff morale and trust. Compliance support helps navigate complex healthcare regulations and avoid costly fines.

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Opinion: FDA: Do your job and stop letting companies sell illicit vapes to kids

STAT

If it were common knowledge that a company was targeting kids to consume highly addictive and dangerous products, you’d expect the government to do something about it. Yet millions of illegal vapes are being smuggled into the U.S. and sold widely — mainly to kids — and the Food and Drug Administration is doing little about it. The FDA needs to step up and end this scourge before the country finds itself in another vaping epidemic , this one caused by government inaction.

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How long does a patent last for drugs?

Drug Patent Watch

Sure, here’s a more detailed explanation with examples: Drug Patent Duration Drug patents are granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a period of 20 years… Source

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Three scientists win Kavli Prize for nanoscience in biomedicine

STAT

Three scientists — Robert Langer, Paul Alivisatos, and Chad Mirkin — were awarded the 2024 Kavli nanoscience prize for their seminal work in biomedicine, the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters announced Wednesday. The $1 million Kavli Prize recognizes scientists for significant contributions and breakthroughs in astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience once every two years.

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NICE declines to look again at depression drug Spravato

pharmaphorum

Johnson & Johnson has slammed a decision by NICE not to carry out a new appraisal of its antidepressant Spravato, claiming it has “grave concern” about access to new mental health treatments through NHS England.

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Position Your Pharmacy for Expansion

Speaker: Chris Antypas and Josh Halladay

Access to limited distribution drugs and payer contracts are key to pharmacy expansion. But how do you prepare your operations to take the next step? Meaningful data: Collect and share clinical data regarding outcomes, utilization, and more Reporting: Limited distribution models require efficient tracking and reporting systems Workflows: Align workflows with specific pharma and payer contractual requirements For in-depth, expert insights on pharmacy expansion, watch this webinar from Inovalon.