Research has shed light on the genetic mutations that link GDF5 with arthritis and height. An ancient regulatory variant in GROW1 has been repeatedly selected in humans in northern environments, explaining the high frequency of a GDF5 haplotype that increases arthritis susceptibility…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Advice is considered an effective treatment for acute low back pain (LBP), but neither clinical trials nor guidelines include adequate detail on what this advice should be, or how doctors should deliver it, according to a new review. And half of the advice topics included in guidelines were discordant with evidence from…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Thursday discussed ways to prevent drugmakers from using rules developed to safeguard patients to instead block the sale of cheaper medicines. The focus at a hearing, held by members of the House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee, was on the use by some brand name drug companies of a U.S….
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—A U.S. Senate led by Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans dealt the president a harsh blow on Friday, failing to move ahead with a major campaign promise to dismantle Obamacare as they fell one vote short of passing healthcare legislation. Three senators—John McCain (R-Az.), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Ala.)—joined Senate Democrats in the…
A 2017 survey showed that rheumatologists’ pay has plateaued. And according to Anne Bass, MD, many cognitive fields, such as pediatrics and endocrinology, remain underpaid due to the current reimbursement structure…
NEW YORK (Reuters)—Generic drug makers are turning to mergers and acquisitions to shield themselves against a concerted effort by U.S. regulators to crack down on steep drug prices. Impax Laboratories Inc, Perrigo Company Plc and Alvogen Inc have been talking to advisers about strategic options for their generics businesses, ranging from acquisitions to increase scale…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—U.S. Senate Republicans embarked on Thursday on another push to unravel Obamacare, working on a stripped-down bill after failing to pass broader legislation and complete a seven-year campaign to gut a law that extended health coverage to millions. Republicans leaders hope a so-called skinny bill can draw enough votes to pass despite unified Democratic…
(Reuters)—U.S. Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill on Thursday expanded an investigation into the causes of the opioid crisis plaguing the country, seeking information from four more drugmakers and three drug distributors. The top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is focusing on the distribution of opioids and the efforts companies made to…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Republicans in the U.S. Senate fell short again on Wednesday in their effort to end Obamacare, rejecting a measure to repeal large portions of President Barack Obama’s signature law that has provided health insurance to millions of Americans. But Republican Senate leaders, struggling to keep a seven-year-old promise to unravel the law, already were…
(Reuters)—Anthem Inc. said it may leave more individual Obamacare markets due to uncertainty about the potential repeal of the healthcare law and subsidies that make the plans affordable for millions of Americans. Republicans on Tuesday began a second day of debate on the U.S. Senate floor of a bill that would end Obamacare, but the…