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Trump administration’s drug price transparency rule blocked by federal…
Scott E. Rupp PharmaceuticalA recent Trump administration rule received a blow at the hands of a federal judge in early July 2019. The judge blocked a drug transparency rule that drugmakers have opposed — requiring that prices be listed in any television ads for the drugs. Merck & Co., Eli Lilly, and Amgen, along with the Association of National Advertisers, sued the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CMS to block the rule they call unnecessary and unlawful. It was set to take effect July 9.
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What are Direct-to-Patient logistics, and what are the challenges?
Mike Sweeney Distribution & WarehousingDirect-to-Patient (DtP) is an integrated supply chain system that enables patients to receive treatment in their own home or place of work — both clinical trials and licensed product applications can be supported. Services can include dispensing the therapeutic product, transporting it to the patient, or even in-home storage in a temperature-controlled manner. DtP also includes patient sample collection and unused drug/supply return. These services are often required in parallel and might be considered Direct-from-Patient (DfP) solutions. To help better understand some of DtP’s unique challenges, we have compiled the top three areas that you will need to consider.
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Chronic pain: We are adding to our patients’ suffering
Lisa Cole Medical & Allied HealthcareI started my professional practice in chemical dependency. Now, many decades later, I find myself advocating for chronic pain patients just to get them the drugs they need to continue functioning. More and more, they are erroneously considered “addicts” and being titrated down, cut off or given inadequate substitutes to what had been working well enough for them. Most simply want to attend to their activities of daily living without being immobilized by pain. This current prescribing practice only contributes to our patients’ suffering versus offering relief.
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Preventing chronic pain in lab mice
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareIn the U.S., chronic pain affects more people than cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes combined. When pain is chronic, signaling persists over time and can lead to biochemical changes in the nervous system. Options for treating chronic pain include oral and topical therapies. Other options include physical therapy, exercise, acupuncture, relaxation techniques, and psychological counseling. Effective drugs against chronic pain are not necessarily forthcoming. However, researchers have recently identified a protein as a future potential target for medicinal drugs.
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Viral infections among organ transplant recipients may be influenced by…
Chelsea Adams Medical & Allied HealthcareA study recently presented at the American Transplant College shows that the gut's microbiome plays a significant role in whether a transplant recipient will develop a viral infection of not. "Our results confirm and extend the novel association between the gut microbiome and the development of viral infections from stem cell transplant recipients to solid organ graft recipients," Dr. John Lee and colleagues wrote in the abstract. "Altogether, these findings support targeting the gut microbiota as a strategy to prevent and/or treat viral infections."
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5 ways to help your patients follow a home healthcare plan
Lisa Mulcahy Medical & Allied HealthcareAs a physician, you know how important it is for your patients to follow your instructions when it comes to carrying out health recommendations on their own — and you also know a lot of folks simply don't do it right. Whether they ignore your instructions, follow a care plan incorrectly, or lose motivation to keep up with their meds or healthy practices, you have more control than you think when it comes to making your orders clear and keeping your patients motivated. How? Follow this advice.
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Study: Cannabis use may help consumers avoid opioids
Sheilamary Koch PharmaceuticalCannabis use for symptom relief among recreational users may help diminish opioid consumption, promise results of a study published recently in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. A staggering 88% of adults who had been taking opioids for pain relief reported that they had reduced or completely eliminated opioid use in favor of cannabis. The research was based on an anonymous survey of 1,000 adult-use-only cannabis dispensary customers conducted as part of a customer feedback program at two retail outlets of a Colorado cannabis dispensary organization.
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Luxury hospitality brands have a new partner: Hemp
Bambi Majumdar Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementEver since the 2018 Farm Bill was passed into law, legalizing hemp products, there has been a new vigor in the industry. CBD-infused food and beverages have received the most traction; CBD-infused oils and related products come a close second. Now we see that hemp is not just a hot trend; it is a revolution. There is still a lot of controversy over CBD products and FDA restrictions. It is important to know that while marijuana-derived CBD products are legal in only a handful of states, hemp-derived CBD is legal in all 50 states.
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Researchers: Preschoolers with pneumonia undergo needless tests, receive…
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcarePreschool kids with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are undergoing needless tests and receiving unnecessary antibiotics from emergency departments and outpatient clinics, according to the results of a new study. Accounting for approximately 1.5 million healthcare visits each in the United States, community-acquired pneumonia is one of the most common infections among the pediatric population. In 2011, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and the Infectious Diseases Society of America issued clinical guidelines for community-acquired pneumonia in children. Dr. Todd Florin and colleagues wanted to evaluate the effect of the guidelines.
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Teachable moments through death
Lisa Cole Medical & Allied Healthcare"So how can we possibly incorporate some of the contemplative care practices we learned at ‘Being With Dying’ into real-life clinical practice? There's absolutely no time," he bemoaned. He was the director of medical education at a large teaching hospital. He also worked there as an attending MD — with outstanding teaching accolades. I had given him a call after attending one of the earlier iterations of this professional training program for clinicians. "Let's see," I said as he challenged me with an invite to participate in ICU rounds.
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