FDA Plots Progress Toward Biosimilar Access
The Food and Drug Administration is tired of waiting. Of the 11 biosimilars approved by the agency, only three are available on the U.S. market. The therapies are poised to provide patients with additional – and potentially lower-cost – options for treating rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, cancer and other diseases. But not unless patients can access them.
Are Medicaid Work Requirements Working?
Work, study, job hunt or volunteer for at least 80 hours a month. That was Arkansas’ demand to Medicaid recipients as part of the state’s new Medicaid work requirements, which took effect in June. One month in, officials are gauging how well the Arkansas Works program is panning out.
New Survey Reveals National Attitudes on Pain Treatment
What stands between patients and integrative, comprehensive pain management? It could be health plan design, according to a recent attitudinal survey by the Alliance for Balanced Pain Management.
How Gout Hurts All of Us
Treatment is important for the 8 million Americans with gout, a disease caused by uric acid buildup in the body that produces excruciating joint pain. But public awareness is growing about how gout impacts another group – everybody else. Now, a new video from the Alliance for Gout Awareness highlights recent research about the disease’s broad social impact.
Patients Shouldn’t Have to “Fail First”
Imagine having severe eczema. Your hands, arms and feet are always red and irritated. Sometimes your skin is so dry it cracks. Other times you have weepy blisters.
Maine Delivers Patient Victory on Non-Medical Switching
In a week already marked by fireworks and parades, patients in Maine have one more thing to celebrate. A new state law draws clear lines about non-medical switching, protecting chronic disease patients who want to stick with the doctor-prescribed medicine that keeps them stable.
The Crossroads of Clinical Trials and Social Media
What can America learn at the crossroads of social media and clinical trials? At a recent National Institutes of Health workshop, one organization had a clear answer: powerful methods for heightening clinical trials awareness.
Medicaid Waiver Rejection Signals Win for Patient Access
Massachusetts Medicaid patients are breathing a collective sigh of relief.
Oregon Expands Access to Hepatitis C Cures
For many patients with an infectious disease, a cure can’t ever be more than a dream. But for Oregonians living with hepatitis C, that’s changing.
Is Innovation the Answer to America’s Opioid Epidemic?
The Food and Drug Administration has approved two generic versions of an innovative drug to treat opioid addiction, increasing available treatment options for Americans fighting addiction. The move underscores a growing realization among policymakers, regulators and industry: to address the opioid crisis, innovative solutions must be readily available.
