Pritzker signs PBM reform package
A sweeping package to reform how pharmacy benefit managers operate in Illinois was signed into law Tuesday by Gov. JB Pritzker.
Legislative session focused on PBM reform, behavioral health coverage
Lawmakers approved sweeping changes to pharmacy benefit managers and removed prior authorization for some behavioral health services during the recently concluded spring session. Below is a roundup of some of the proposals that […]
Senate approves stricter PBM regulations
Senators approved a plan Thursday night that would reform how pharmacy benefit managers operate in Illinois.
Spinal Delivery of Gene Therapy Promising for Neurodegenerative Disease
Gene therapy delivered for the first time via lumbar puncture showed promise of benefit in slowing progression of giant axonal neuropathy (GAN) in a phase I clinical trial. The slope of change in motor function went from -7.17 percentage points per year before treatment to -0.54 percentage points with the lowest dose to an improvement […]
Study Backs Recommended Antibiotic Approach for Aspiration Pneumonia
Antibiotic therapy with extended anaerobic coverage (EAC) was not associated with a survival benefit in patients with community-acquired aspiration pneumonia, according to results from a retrospective cohort study that support current guidelines. Across 18 hospitals in Canada, in-hospital mortality rates were 30.3% for patients treated with antibiotic therapy with limited anaerobic coverage (LAC) and 32.1% […]
Late Tenecteplase Not Beneficial for Stroke Patients With LVOs
PHOENIX — Selected stroke patients did not benefit clinically from having the window of tenecteplase therapy extended beyond the first few hours of stroke onset, the randomized TIMELESS trial found. In patients with large-vessel occlusions (LVOs) and evidence of salvageable tissue on perfusion imaging — most who also received endovascular thrombectomy — functional outcomes at […]
DAPT Stays Helpful for Minor Stroke Even With Later Presentation, Worse Symptoms
The benefit of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) for a minor ischemic stroke seems to apply outside the 24-hour time window and minimal stroke symptoms for which the treatment is currently recommended, based on results from the INSPIRES trial. Administered within 72 hours after onset of mild ischemic stroke or high-risk transient ischemic attack (TIA), the […]
Side Benefit of Botulinum Toxin A? Reduced IOP in Hemifacial Spasm
Injection with botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) for hemifacial spasm (HFS) may have an additional benefit: decreasing unilateral eyelid spasms and intraocular pressure (IOP), according to a small Brazilian study. Mean IOP was 11 ± 3.42 mm Hg before treatment in the affected eye and 9 ± 2.98 mm Hg in the contralateral eye (P=0.012). Post-BTX-A […]
Tebentafusp’s OS Benefit in Uveal Melanoma Holds Up at 3 Years
MADRID — The significant survival benefit with the bispecific T-cell receptor therapy tebentafusp (Kimmtrak) held up at 3 years for selected patients with previously untreated metastatic uveal melanoma, updated results of a phase III trial demonstrated. In HLA-A*02:01-positive patients, landmark analyses showed improved overall survival (OS) at 1, 2, and 3 years with tebentafusp versus […]
Common Shoulder Procedure Found Worthless
Saline lavage, meant to loosen up calcified shoulder tendons, provided no benefit in a double-blind, sham-controlled trial, researchers said. Four months after treatment, Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS) values were about the same whether patients with so-called calcific tendinopathy received the actual saline lavage plus injections with a corticosteroid (triamcinolone) and lidocaine, sham lavage plus the […]