October, 2023

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STAT+: Pharmacists can make shortage drugs, but at what cost?

STAT

Pharmacists increasingly are being asked to make drugs in bulk for hospitals that are in short supply, and they’re even beginning to make chemotherapies. But some in the industry worry about the unintended consequences of overreliance. Hospitals’ reliance on pharmacist-made drugs, a practice called compounding, has risen in step with worsening drug shortages.

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Exclusive: Six in 10 pharmacists confident to deliver Pharmacy First this winter, suggests survey

The Pharmacist

More than six in 10 community pharmacists surveyed by The Pharmacist believe they have the capacity to deliver a common conditions service in England this winter. Those surveyed highlighted public and GP awareness, proper funding for the service and training for pharmacists as key enabling factors for the service. ‘More resources, clarity on payment reconciliation, […] The post Exclusive: Six in 10 pharmacists confident to deliver Pharmacy First this winter, suggests survey appeared first

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Pfizer to cut costs, lay off staff on waning demand for COVID products

BioPharma Dive

Sales of Pfizer's antiviral Paxlovid and shot Comirnaty have been slower than it anticipated, while a shift to the commercial market for the antiviral has been delayed.

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Actor and epilepsy advocate Greg Grunberg wants the world to ‘talk about it’

PharmaVoice

The actor of “Heroes” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” fame is starring in another role as a patient advocate for people with epilepsy.

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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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SAEM Clinical Images Series: Intracranial Abnormality

ALiEM - Pharm Pearls

A 26-year-old male with no significant past medical history presented to the ED after slipping on wet pavement and hitting his head on the ground three hours prior. He endorsed a constant, achy 7/10 headache accompanied by nausea and photophobia. He denied vomiting, dizziness, diplopia, loss of consciousness, or seizures. Nothing made it better or worse.

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‘We’re absolutely making it too hard’: The complexity of adult immunization delivery hinders vaccine uptake

STAT

Alison Buttenheim was floored by a sign she saw in her doctor’s office when she went to get the first jab of the two-dose shingles vaccine to protect her against painful flare-ups of varicella zoster. “Medicare patients cannot receive Tdap or zoster vaccines here. They need to obtain [them] at their pharmacy. If they receive it here, they need to pay out of pocket,” the notice read.

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More Trending

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Researchers try to tease out possible ties between long Covid and menopause

STAT

When she stopped getting her period in March 2022, Daryn Schwartz wasn’t especially concerned. At 42, she had recently come off birth control, and figured her cycles were still adjusting. When it hadn’t come back by the summer, she sought gynecological care, but was told to wait it out. So she did, with no changes. She was having other symptoms, too — fatigue, chronic pain, and difficulty focusing.

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Zuckerberg and Chan announce a New York biohub to build disease-fighting cellular machines

STAT

Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, pediatrician and philanthropist Priscilla Chan, announced on Wednesday plans to invest $250 million over 10 years to establish a new “biohub” in New York City focused on building a new class of cellular machines that can surveil the body and snuff out disease. The new initiative, publicly revealed at the 2023 STAT Summit and previewed exclusively to STAT, is the latest program from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, or CZI, a company the coup

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Serotonin levels are depleted in long Covid patients, study says, pointing to a potential cause for ‘brain fog’

STAT

If you’ve been following the mystery of long Covid since it emerged in 2020, you’ll recall interferons and serotonin have been clues from the start as combatants in the body’s prolonged battles against the virus. Theories about why symptoms persist long after the acute infection has cleared often point to two suspects: viral reservoirs where SARS-CoV-2 lingers and inflammation sparked by the infection that doesn’t subside.

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Is there a nursing shortage in the United States? Depends on who you ask

STAT

Hospitals are frustrated with a nationwide nursing shortage that’s only gotten worse since the pandemic. In 2022, the American Hospital Association quoted an estimate that half a million nurses would leave the field by the end of that year, bringing the total shortage to 1.1 million. At the same time, National Nurses United insists there isn’t a nurse shortage at all.

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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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Opinion: Yes, everyone should get an updated Covid-19 vaccine

STAT

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that everyone in the U.S. 6 months and older receive an updated Covid vaccine targeting the XBB.1.5 variant. Since then, some notable voices, including Paul Offit , have publicly questioned whether the updated vaccine is needed for those who are not in a high-risk group. He recently wrote, “At this point in the pandemic, it is hard to make a case for vaccinating everyone.

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The fight for control of methadone, addiction treatment’s ‘miracle molecule’

STAT

A doctor, a patient advocate, and the most powerful figure in the methadone treatment industry presented competing visions for the future of American addiction medicine this week — a conversation that touched on stigma, patients’ rights, and a stark divide in health provider attitudes toward patients with addiction. The debate centered on a single question: whether U.S. doctors should be able to prescribe methadone, a medication used to treat addiction to drugs like fentanyl and he

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STAT+: Like a vampire, some cancer cells can suck the energy source from immune cells

STAT

As elite hunters of the immune system, T cells are constantly prowling our bodies for diseased cells to attack. But when they encounter a tumor, something unexpected can happen. New research shows that some cancer cells can fire a long nanotube projection into the T cell that, like a vampire’s fang, sucks energy-creating mitochondria from the immune cell, turning the predator into prey.

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Fixing America’s health insurance woes is ‘actually very simple,’ says leading economist

STAT

Fixing the U.S. health care system can seem like a herculean task. But the solution is “actually very simple,” according to Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist Amy Finkelstein. In their recent book “ We’ve Got You Covered: Rebooting American Health Care ,” Finkelstein and Stanford economist Liran Einav describe how years of research have led them to the conclusion that the best way forward is for the U.S. to offer universal basic health care coverag

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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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FDA authorizes Novavax’s updated Covid-19 vaccine

STAT

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized Novavax’s updated Covid-19 vaccine, giving Americans seeking to update their protection against the SARS-CoV-2 virus another option. Though the FDA’s green light came three weeks after the approvals for the updated Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech shots, it contained some welcome news for the Gaithersburg, Md.

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STAT+: For Parkinson’s disease, advances spurred by Apple Watch offer a glimmer of hope

STAT

Since the Apple Watch was unveiled in 2014, it has been trumpeted not only as a high tech fashion accessory, but also as a way for people to track their own health and fitness. It has evolved as a popular cardio tool for such uses as heart rate monitoring, recording your ECG, and measuring the oxygen saturation of your blood. But now, after nearly a decade of development, the Apple Watch is being leveraged on an entirely new health frontier: Parkinson’s disease, the degenerative brain dis

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Opinion: I lost my son to OxyContin. ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ is my Sackler revenge fantasy

STAT

Editor’s note: This essay contains spoilers for the Netflix show “The Fall of the House of Usher.” “W atch “ The Fall of the House of Usher” on Netflix when you can. F**cking Great! Totally based on the Sacklers—Fictional obviously but so damn good!

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Treating Rural America: The new country doctors

STAT

Family medicine physician Olusunmisola Oyesiku always thought she would practice in a big city, but after going through her family residency program at the University of Alabama in Selma, she ended up falling in love with rural medicine. The Selma program is one of a small, but growing, number of residencies in the country that places residents entirely in rural medical settings.

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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.

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STAT+: UnitedHealth discontinues a controversial brand amid scrutiny of algorithmic care denials

STAT

UnitedHealth Group and Optum are getting rid of the name of their tech-driven care management company just months after the company faced congressional criticism over the use of its algorithms to cut off payments for patients’ care. Discontinuing the NaviHealth name is part of a broader rebranding of Optum’s division that provides services to people at home and in post-acute facilities.

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STAT+: ALS patients support bill that could help patients with other rare diseases

STAT

WASHINGTON — A month after advisers to the Food and Drug Administration overwhelmingly voted against the experimental ALS drug NurOwn, a Senate committee is considering a bill that would allow provisional approvals of the drug and other investigational treatments for rare, incurable diseases. Balancing high approval standards and fast access to promising drugs has always been a wobbly act.

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CDC recommends rationing of RSV shot due to shortages

STAT

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended rationing an important monoclonal antibody product to protect young infants from RSV due to strained supply of the new product, Sanofi’s Beyfortus. In a health alert issued Monday, the CDC said clinicians should prioritize available doses for babies at highest risk from respiratory syncytial virus, reserving 100-milligram doses for infants under the age of 6 months and those with underlying health conditions that put them at h

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The ‘model-eat-model world’ of clinical AI: How predictive power becomes a pitfall

STAT

A growing number of AI tools are being used to predict everything from sepsis to strokes, with the hope of accelerating the delivery of life-saving care. But over time, new research suggests, these predictive models can become a victim of their own success — sending their performance into a nosedive and generating inaccurate, potentially harmful results.

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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+: Tracking the FDA advisory panel on the first CRISPR-based treatment for sickle cell disease

STAT

The Food and Drug Administration is convening a meeting of outside experts on Tuesday to review exa-cel, a CRISPR-based treatment for sickle cell disease made by Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics. Tuesday’s meeting is set up a bit differently than most FDA advisory panels. The agency has not raised any concerns about exa-cel’s efficacy or safety, and there will not be a typical vote at the end of the day on whether the data from exa-cel’s pivotal clinical trial

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STAT+: Cigna to pay $172 million in Medicare Advantage fraud settlement

STAT

Health insurer Cigna is paying more than $172 million to settle allegations that it committed fraud by knowingly submitting inaccurate diagnoses of its Medicare Advantage members, the company and Department of Justice announced Saturday. The settlement stems from a wide-ranging government investigation into the coding practices of Medicare Advantage insurers, as well as a specific whistleblower lawsuit against Cigna that the DOJ joined last year.

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AstraZeneca, maker of FluMist, seeks to allow at-home administration of vaccine

STAT

People eligible to use the only needle-free flu vaccine available in the United States may be able, next year, to give it to themselves or to eligible children at home. AstraZeneca, which makes the vaccine FluMist, announced Tuesday it has submitted to the Food and Drug Administration a supplemental biologics license application that would allow for self-administration of the vaccine by people ages 18 through 49, and would allow people 18 and older to give the vaccine to eligible children.

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FDA expert panel endorses idea of removing a component from flu vaccine

STAT

The Food and Drug Administration’s expert vaccine advisory panel on Thursday unanimously endorsed the idea of taking a strain of influenza viruses that no longer appears to circulate out of flu shots as quickly as possible, pressing the FDA and manufacturers to try to get the work done on an expedited timeline. While a representative of vaccine manufacturers warned it may not be possible to remove the influenza B/Yamagata component from the flu vaccines that will be made for the Northern

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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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Meghan O’Rourke on a medical system not built for chronic illness — and the ‘invisible kingdom’ that could spur change

STAT

When her life was upturned by an accumulating array of confounding health problems, Meghan O’Rourke turned, like so many writers before her, to metaphor. Her body wracked with fatigue was a mound of sand. Her descent into illness was Hemingway’s description of going broke: gradually, then suddenly. The chronically ill patient dejected after fruitless interactions with doctors was nearly invisible, and solitary.

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STAT+: Biogen’s tau-lowering drug slows cognitive decline in early study of Alzheimer’s disease

STAT

An experimental treatment for Alzheimer’s disease that removes a toxic protein called tau from brain cells showed “favorable trends” across several measures of cognition and function in a small study — results that offer some hope for an emerging drug class that has failed to deliver benefits in the past. The drug, called BIIB080, is being developed by Biogen.

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STAT+: FDA clears Verve to begin U.S. study of gene-editing treatment for high cholesterol

STAT

Verve Therapeutics said Monday that it had received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration to conduct a clinical trial in the U.S. of its experimental, gene-editing treatment for a common form of heart disease. The FDA’s action removes a clinical hold on Verve’s CRISPR-based therapy, called VERVE-101, that was placed on it last November.

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STAT+: Oncologists more likely to provide low-value care after receiving pharma money, study finds

STAT

Oncologists were more likely to provide low-value cancer care after receiving money from pharmaceutical companies, and the findings raise questions about the extent to which industry influence may have led to patient harm, according to a new study. The study looked at two scenarios: medications that were not recommended for treating a particular cancer, such as denosumab, which is administered for prostate cancer, and GCSF medications that are used to stimulate the bone marrow to make blood cell

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5 Reasons to Upgrade Your Pharmacy Management Software

Are you still using workarounds to manage your daily operations? To achieve peak performance, it's time to explore other options for specialty and infusion pharmacy software. Streamline pharmacy operations and improve clinical performance with automated processing, real-time data exchange, and electronic decision support. Download this helpful infographic to: Drive efficiency and patient adherence from referral receipt to delivery and ongoing care – all with our Pharmacy Cloud.