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An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

Costly Drugs to Weigh on U.S. Employers’ Expenses in 2018

Divya Grover  |  

(Reuters)—U.S. employers are bracing for higher health care expenses in 2018 as spending on new drugs to treat diseases, such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and hepatitis C, is expected to rise more than 7%, according to consultancy firm Mercer.1 Between 40 and 50 new specialty drugs are set to hit the market each year in…

Drug Industry on Tenterhooks as Maryland Price-Gouging Law Nears

Deena Beasley  |  

(Reuters)—As U.S. consumer outrage grows over prescription drug prices, state authorities and patient advocates in Maryland are preparing to enforce the nation’s first law designed to punish drugmaker price-gouging. The Maryland Attorney General’s office said it will field complaints and investigate “unconscionable increases” in essential generic medicines when the closely watched law takes effect Oct….

Demand for Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty Is on the Rise

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In the next five to 10 years, the frequency of revision total knee arthroplasty is expected to grow 600%, due to the rise in obesity in the U.S. population and increase in primary knee replacement surgeries. Physicians can use different tools to help decrease the risk of premature implant failure and improve patient outcome…

Obamacare Enrollment to Fall in 2018 and Beyond after Cuts -CBO

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters)—Enrollment on the Obamacare health insurance exchanges in 2018 and later years is expected to be less than previously forecast, dampened by the Trump administration’s decision to pull back enrollment efforts, the U.S. Congressional Budget Office said on Thursday. The administration has cut back on advertising spending, halved the enrollment period to six…

Prosecutors Identify Insys Founder as Unindicted Co-conspirator in Opioid Case

Nate Raymond  |  

BOSTON (Reuters)—U.S. prosecutors have identified Insys Therapeutics Inc’s billionaire founder as an unindicted co-conspirator in a case accusing six former executives and managers of participating in a scheme that involved bribing doctors to prescribe a fentanyl-based drug, according to a court document. John Kapoor, who stepped down as chief executive of Insys in January, was…

FDA Approves First Biosimilar for the Treatment of Cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration  |  

Mvasi, a biosimilar to the cancer drug Avastin, is approved for certain colorectal, lung, brain, kidney and cervical cancers The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Mvasi (bevacizumab-awwb) as a biosimilar to Avastin (bevacizumab) for the treatment of multiple types of cancer. Mvasi is the first biosimilar approved in the U.S. for the treatment…

Key U.S. Senators Reach Deal on Funding Children’s Health Program

Reuters Staff  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Leaders of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee said on Tuesday they reached an agreement to finance a federal insurance program for millions of lower-income children and pregnant women that was due to expire at the end of the month. Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, chairman of the finance committee, and the panel’s top Democrat, Senator…

Doctors Who Take Pharmaceutical Money Use Twitter to Hype Drugs

Ronnie Cohen  |  

(Reuters Health)—Some cancer doctors use Twitter to promote drugs manufactured by companies that pay them, but they almost never disclose their conflicts of interest on the social media platform, a new study shows. “This is a big problem,” says senior author Dr. Vinay Prasad, a professor at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. “Doctors…

U.S. Tribal Patent Deal Could Impact Generic Drug Market

Jan Wolfe  |  

(Reuters)—A groundbreaking deal between Allergan Plc. and a Native American tribe to shield the company’s patents in administrative proceedings could also be used be to protect them from challenges in federal court, legal experts say, potentially dealing a blow to generic competition. Allergan said on Friday it had transferred patents on its blockbuster dry eye…