Cost, Quality Debates Dominate Cancer Policy Workshop
How do we go about ”Ensuring Patient Access to Cancer Drugs”? Ethicists, economists, physicians and academics gathered for the Institute of Medicine’s National Cancer Policy Forum Workshop this week to discuss the topic.
WHO Calls for Improved, Science-based Regulations on Biosimilars
Patients worldwide need access to affordable biosimilars, the World Health Organizations’ World Health Assembly (WHA) says, but not at the expense of safety or science.
Final Part D Rule Protects Access – For Now
Medicare beneficiaries and patient advocates breathed a collective sigh of relief last month when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final Part D rule – which targeted program abuse instead of implementing cost-cutting restrictions on medication access.
‘My Life is Worth It’ Voices Cancer Patients’ Concerns
The value of innovative cancer treatments – both in dollars and cents and in human life – takes center stage this month with two complementary efforts to encourage pro-patient policy.
Drug-Naming Debate Sparks Patient Safety Concern
What’s in a name? A lot, as the Food and Drug Administration and World Health Organization are discovering.
Less Clinical Data May Mean Fewer Prescriptions for Biosimilars
The Food and Drug Administration may require less clinical data to approve biosimilars (imitations of powerful biological medications).
Rx Expenses Double for Health Insurance Exchange Patients
Americans covered by a health insurance exchange plan may be paying out for prescription medications in a big way, a new study finds.
Specialty Tiers Complicate Rare Disease Treatment
Patients with rare diseases still struggle to access the medicine they need, despite growing disease awareness and passage of the Affordable Care Act.
My Healthy Initiative Reframes Obesity Conversation
Health gained, not pounds lost should be the focus of conversations on obesity, says a new health initiative called My Healthy™.
AAP’s Inconsistent Stance on Infant Care is Cause for Concern
Last week was World Immunization Week, an apt time for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to question a controversial proposal from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to reduce children’s pneumococcal vaccine schedule.
